Sharing

[breezeshadow]

Despite the fact that I posted a story two days ago, my brain is convinced that I am slacking, playing too much Sims, and need to post something RIGHT NOW.

So here, have something I wrote yesterday.

Title: Sharing
Genre: Fantasy
The Troops: Tegre, Eilis, Kader, & Conan
Status: Complete, spellchecked, briefly reviewed
Rating: PG-13 because Kader XD
Summary: It's a cold winter's day, and this household is spending it with a contagious illness.
Prompt: cottoncandy_bingo Person & loved one(s) injured/sick simultaneously
Author's Notes: I'm really starting to like Eilis as a character, and I made her in the Sims and got a better idea of how she looks (she's gorgeous in a "I pretty myself up in a way you couldn't do in a week" way. It makes her that much more frightening). Also this was a great way to establish how this household functions. Also it's almost sickeningly "d'awww". Enjoy?

Tegre and Eilís believed in sharing -- the sharing of taking care of their son, of making dinner, of cleaning the house, of shopping. It gave them chances to do different things, to not get burnt out, and to keep from going insane.

Unfortunately, it appeared that this sharing extended to gastroenteritis as well.

"Am I going to get this gift as well?" Kader adjusted Conan in her arms when he made a not-so-subtle grab for a stray lock of her black hair. "Because you know I'm terrible with kids. If he tries to grab something one more time I may just smack him."

"Please, feel free. I think at this age it's the only thing they really understand as 'no'." Eilís looked over at the two; her face was pale, though her icy blue eyes still held plenty of fire. Kader had a running bet on whether she would keep down the water she had given her. "So oh wise doctor, have any magical cures? Because if Tegre and I have a mutual vomit date one more time, I may just have the next date be cy--" She cut herself off last minute, though Kader pretended she did not know what the woman was about to imply. "Chamomile. Not even the tea. I mean eating the plant."

"Chamomile's actually not a bad idea. Good for an upset stomach. I can include it in the ginger tea." Kader gave Conan an annoyed look when he shouted something vaguely obscene-sounding at her. "Yeah well, you suck."

"You suck!" Conan grinned.

"Great. He's already talking like you and we've barely been sick a day." Eilís chuckled as she lay back down on the bed, hands at her stomach. She did not bother trying to get the stray locks of her dirty blond hair out of her face. "That'll make me popular with the other mothers. 'Meet Conan. He's raised by three parents and already learned every swear word from one.'"

"They already think you're raising him to be a zealot. This is an improvement." Tegre's voice was soft and scratchy as he returned from the bathroom; Tiger followed at his heels, meowing worriedly. He jumped up onto the bed as Tegre laid back down on it and squeezed himself between the couple, purring and licking at Tegre's ear.

"Kitty!" Conan extended his arms out to the cat, struggling in Kader's arms. "Want Kitty!"

"Fuck no, last time you bit him and pulled his tail." Kader tightened her grip on the child. "And then you screamed when he scratched you back. No Kitty for you."

"He's two, Kader, that's how they bond with animals." Eilís sighed softly as she rubbed at her face. "A few more times of getting scratched and bit, and he'll learn that cats are not walking stuffed animals. You can let him down, though, to go cook. We can watch him."

"Are you sure?" Much as Kader did not like children, she liked the idea of the toddler being watched by two sick parents even less. She figured she could make the tea and watch Conan at the same time; he did have a playpen, after all. "I was going to just put him in the prison."

Eilís shrugged, gagging a bit before continuing, thankfully without any heaving. "If you think he's not going to start wailing, go ahead. But he probably wants to be with Mommy. Hagaas knows he doesn't care if we're sick."

"Kitty!" Conan's voice was reaching new heights; Tiger glanced over at him, ears back.

"You know what, never mind. I sense a toddler-cat fight and we're too sick to break it up." Eilís reached over and stroked Tegre's dark hair, barely staying in its ponytail. "You okay over there?"

"I'm alive."

"Well yes, I figured you weren't a breathing corpse." Eilís squirmed closer, getting an irritated meow from Tiger at first before he realized he could just lie on top of Tegre's stomach. She rested her head on Tegre's shoulder. "That's just mean, cat."

"Since you can't be bothered to tell your wife, can you tell me? I know you guys are vomiting up a small lake and are feverish, but how are the stools? Any chills? How's the pain?" For reasons she could never figure out, Tegre tended to hide anything negative from his wife, especially concerning his health. She knew he had to tell him about the depression at one point, at least, but once Kader returned, he tried to portray an individual in perfect condition.

Of course, they all knew it was bullshit. Tegre was silent for a moment, staring sickly at the ceiling. Then, as they all knew he would, he spoke. "Bad."

"All of it?" She had plenty of years experience translating Tegre's short answers into full sentences, but it never hurt to double-check.

"Bad."

"Ginger tea with chamomile it is. Come on, Conan, before you join the puke parade."

"Pook pawade!"

"Yes, that's exactly the phrase I wanted you to learn today." Kader rolled her eyes as she left the couple to their resting. Tegre had gotten it first; Kader suspected he brought it back from the bar one night. Public places were always the most disease-ridden, and she did not imagine alcohol made it that much better. Within a day he was sick, and then Eilís had been next, having had the bad luck of sharing his bed that night.

Though then, Kader did not often claim Tegre since Conan was born. Somehow, it had felt inappropriate, or even rude. Eilís told her multiple times that she did not care, that she understood what kind of relationship she and Tegre had; it was no danger to their marriage; and if Kader ever needed some comforting cuddles from Tegre, she need only say so.

It did not stop the discomfort, though. Kader placed Conan gently in the prison -- a tall, sturdy wooden and mesh structure full of toys, stuffed animals, and pots and pans. Conan cried out when she walked away, but after a few moments of screaming got him no attention, he started banging together the pots.

Kader sighed as she looked through her supplies; she had mostly gotten used to the noise, but it still made her skin crawl from time to time. It also would do nothing to let his parents actually sleep; she knew the lack of rest from constantly having to get up was doing nothing to help them recover. The chamomile, at least, would help calm both their stomach and their nerves, hopefully to allow them a nap's rest, at least.

A curious meow made her sigh heavily once again. Kader was not a fan of cats, though she tolerated Tiger well enough. He at least was useful; he kept the house free of rodents, and kept rabbits away from her garden during the short growing season. They barely had to feed him due to his excellent hunting skills. Despite that, he did a fantastic job of pretending he was starving and mulling around anyone who dared enter the kitchen.

"It's ginger tea, you dumbass cat." Kader stepped over him as she got a kettle to put on the stove. She knelt down and checked on the coals; thankfully nothing had to be changed or cleaned, because she was fairly certain Tiger would try to eat it. Satisfied, she resumed making the tea.

~~~

Eilís was wondering if her stomach was going to just finally disintegrate, and if that would be more comfortable. She could feel the fever coming off of Tegre as she snuggled close to him, listening to the sounds of Conan playing in his pen, and Kader preparing the tea. She felt the slightest twinge of guilt about leaving the woman to deal with the house and the child, but Kader had not protested, so Eilís figured she had no issues. They all would know if she did.

"Feeling any better?" Eilís wrapped an arm around Tegre, feeling him breathe softly. The lack of answer she got told her all she needed to know. "Don't worry. I'm sure Kader is fixing up some wonderful drink made of ginger, chamomile, and pent-up frustration."

That got Tegre to laugh, at least, though it was a croaky chuckle. "She tries."

"Oh I know. And Conan loves her. Of course, because she doesn't care if he swears and just swears right back. And then of course Tiger loves her too. She has this great ability to be loved by things that piss her off."

"Like me?" Tegre gave Eilís a cheeky smile, and she laughed.

"Yeah but you have an advantage over the other two -- she actually loves you back." Eilís paused thoughtfully, rubbing Tegre's stomach gently. She had found Kader fascinating the second the woman had showed up at their doorstep. "Though you know, I'm pretty sure if someone tried to hurt Conan or Tiger she'd beat them up. I get the feeling she pretends to dislike them."

"She... Hasn't had much experience with this." Tegre looked up at the ceiling, shifting his arm to wrap it around his wife's lower torso. "I mean, neither do I, but..."

"But you at least had a family? Shitty and tragic though it was?" At Tegre's nod, Eilís sighed. "While she was stuck in an orphanage. Yes, good point. A loving, safe household isn't exactly what she knows, and she's only been here two years."

"You're okay with her--"

"Yes, Tegre. Will you ask me this every year?" Eilís patted his stomach lightly. "If I didn't want her here, I would have kicked her out the first week. But she is basically your soul mate, her medical knowledge was a miracle during the rest of the pregnancy, and she even pools money from her doctoring to help us with funds. She acts frigid but she's a sweetheart, deep, deep down." Very deep down; Kader was the most abrasive person Eilís knew, and Eilís had to wake up to herself every morning.

"I'm sure she'd love to hear you say that." Tegre smirked softly at the ceiling. Maybe he reserved his deep, dark side for Kader, but she was the one who could cheer him up.

Eilís laughed again, louder this time. "Oh Hagaas, that would be great to see. She's still a bit nervous around me so I don't know if she'd lose it and snap or just shuffle away to sulk later."

"Both." Tegre paused. "I wonder how her nightmares are."

She knew it was rare for Kader to have a peaceful, dreamless sleep; the first few months after her arrival here, she would often wake them both up with screaming. She did not tell Eilís about them, and Tegre never said what they were. Knowing Kader's past, Eilís figured she was better off not knowing, and leaving Kader to her secrets, painful though they may be.

Tegre, though, was someone she confided in; it was the reason she had tracked him down in the first place. Ever since Conan was born, though, she had become distant; it was almost like having a live-in babysitter, if they had no interest in children or being polite. Kader had always been very edgy about Eilís, but she was not quite sure how a child somehow made it worse.

"If you ever want to check on her, you can, but do try to not wake Conan up in the process. I still think that's one of the reasons she hasn't sought you out for comfort, these days. That or she still thinks I care." Eilís sighed. While she certainly would not object to having Tegre to cuddle, all by herself with no sharing, she also knew that Kader was not a threat. The woman showed a distinct lack of interest in sex, for one thing, and her grasp of romance was shaky at best. The town muttered about the "threesome" in their house, of course, and how scandalous it was, but Eilís had long stopped caring about gossip, and only hoped Kader did, too.

"I think you just scare her." Tegre sounded confused every time he said it; the concept of Kader being frightened was apparently an unfamiliar concept. Eilís could see it; Kader had become a doctor in one of the most sexist and overall discriminatory countries in the world. That alone spoke of determination and a fantastic disregard for making people happy, or letting them intimidate her.

It made the woman being frightened by a religious gardener-slash-housewife that much more bizarre. "Well hopefully she gets over it. I stand by what I said when she first showed up at our doorstep." Upon hearing distinct clattering in the kitchen, Eilís disentangled from Tegre and sat up slowly, swallowing bile that rose in her throat before helping her husband.

"'She traveled this far to reunite with you, and I do not have the right to break that bond.'" Tegre coughed hoarsely as he leaned against the bed post, wincing. "I remember. I do not know if she does."

"Remember what?" Kader gave them a suspicious look, deep blue eyes narrowed, as she brought in two steaming cups of tea. Tiger rubbed against her ankles, convinced that whatever she was holding, it should all go to him.

"What I told Tegre when you first arrived, and what I believe he then told you." Eilís ignored Tegre's horrified look; perhaps she did not follow all of the Laws of Hagaas that she should, but not being a gossip was certainly one of the ones she valued most highly. If she did not like other people talking secretively about her, she should not do the same. Besides, if he was not used to her forwardness by now, he never would be.

Kader stared at them for a moment, eyebrows lifting, before walking over and handing them the cups of tea. The smell of ginger, honey, and chamomile drifted up to Eilís, and she sipped at it delicately. The other woman would respond when she was ready; that much was certain.

"So how did that come up in conversation?" The doctor pulled over a chair and sat down, stiff and on edge. Eilís sighed at her.

"Just by chance, actually. I made a joke about how your drink was being made with frustration, and it went from there." She shrugged. "The tea is very good. I can't even taste the ginger."

"I know you hate it, so I masked it. Don't go yelling at me if the honey makes you sick again though." Though Kader's tone was strong and indifferent, Eilís noted the lack of real eye contact. Tegre, shifting uneasily next to her, apparently also noticed. Eilís considered commenting, but thought last-minute that it was probably her, so it was best to stay out of the conversation.

"Kader. Have you been sleeping okay?" Besides, Eilís knew Tegre's quiet personality was almost always overcome if he sensed Kader was in discomfort.

She did not answer, or even look at them, at first. Tiger jumped up onto her lap, getting a scowl, yet she still absentmindedly scratched at his ears, getting a loud purr in return. She looked down at the cat as he yawned and stretched his paws outward, fingers tracing his faint brown stripes through his orange coat. "The nightmares are... Around."

And by that, they all knew she meant unpleasant. "You know you can grab Tegre or me if they're really bad. You walk like a ghost; I know it won't wake up Conan." Eilís tried her best friendly, harmless smile. Tegre, too, was silent -- assassin training did that to a person -- but for whatever reason, Conan had a sense for when either of them got up, and would instantly awaken. She hoped that it was not the same for Kader. "You know I don't care, so let's not get into that debate again."

Kader gave her a tired look, and then Eilís realized what was going on. Of course; two years was not enough time for this woman to trust anyone, and certainly not someone as foreign as her. Sure, Kader heard her words, and acted on them for a while; but then time would pass, and the doubts clearly had returned. It was frustrating, but Eilís suppressed her disappointment; she would not gain Kader's trust by getting annoyed with her. Instead, she breathed steadily and deeply, remembering Hagaas's speeches about being kind in the face of flaws, because it could heal them.

"It's fine. Really. I wouldn't say it was if it wasn't. You know that." Eilís met the other woman's eyes. She knew that eye contact tended to intimidate her, but she hoped Kader could read the honesty on her face.

Perhaps she had, for she held up her hands. "Yes, yes, never lie, blurt whatever is on your mind. We're two of a kind."

Eilís laughed at that. "So who should dye their hair to match? I don't think I can make my eyes darker, though, sorry."

Kader rolled her eyes, then rose from her chair, ignoring Tiger's annoyed mew as she looked over at Eilís's husband. "Tegre. You okay?" Eilís had never figured out why they used each other's names so often before speaking. She heard them do it even when she was not in the room.

The man was sipping his tea, albeit slowly and clearly with some pain. At least he had not vomited it up, though. He nodded weakly at them; Eilís reached over and rubbed at his back.

"He's just listening to us and wondering when we're going to start fighting." She smiled as Tegre looked away. "So yes, dear, that is it. I was told stories of soul mates when a little girl, and who am I to keep two I know apart?" Granted, the stories were more debates about Hagaas's many speeches and essays about them, but Kader would not know that.

"A normal person?" Kader gave Eilís a bemused look, but the woman just chuckled.

"Well, I never was one of those, and don't feel like starting now." A cry pierced the air, and Eilís groaned. "Of course. We can't end a conversation on a quiet note."

"I'll get him. No, lie back down." Kader glared at the couple; just like worry overrode Tegre's quiet, doctoring always took priority in Kader. "I didn't give you that tea for you to vomit it back up. He probably just wants attention." And with that, the doctor swept out of the room.

Eilís sipped at her tea, all the better to hide a smile at the other woman. They clashed, to be sure; both of them were very passionate, assertive people, and they came from completely different backgrounds. Eilís had been raised in a loving household that gave her a very typical education and set of expectations. Kader had grown up -- Eilís would never claim she was raised -- in an orphanage, alone without guidance, and had stomped on all expectations to go into a career that offered little love to her. The tension was to be expected, but it was receding; Kader may have taken Conan's screaming as an escape route, but at the same time, she had been willing to talk, if only for a bit. They had even almost agreed on something.

"I think she'll be okay." She looked over at Tegre, who stared into his mug sadly, as if he would deeply regret vomiting it back up. She knew that feeling; Kader was too good of a brewer to waste her drinks. "What do you think? You know her better."

"She's better. Not perfect but... Better." The words came carefully, with more thought behind them than Eilís thought necessary.

That was how her husband was, though, and she was long used to it. She put her tea aside and snuggled under the covers as she heard Conan switch from crying to laughing and babbling excitedly about snow. It was enough to make her think that her house was under control; and that was enough to let her try to sleep.

~~~

"Momma!"

"Funny, I don't remember birthing you." Kader reached into the pen and picked up Conan, who squealed excitedly and, as always, grabbed for her hair. "I'm warning you. One more time and you're getting a smack."

"Fuck you!" The child grinned, and Kader rolled her eyes.

"Fuck you too. Little shit, you're even learning how to talk back from me." Kader walked over to the coat rack and grabbed Conan's. "Let's go outside. You like snow, right?"

"Snow! Snow! Snow snow snow snow!" Conan grabbed for his coat, making putting it on him take that much more effort. She wondered, sometimes, if she was as much of a pain in the ass as a toddler. It would explain why orphanages seemed to hate children so much.

"Yes, snow. But first you need to put on your coat, because if you die, I'm next." Finally she wrestled it on him, and set Conan on the floor. He stood up immediately, and banged on the door. Kader quickly slipped her own jacket on and picked Conan back up. "Stop that. Daddy will think it's an intruder."

"Inwuda!"

"Great Dragon, must you learn all of the worst words I say?" She pulled the door open, and they were both greeted by a gust of wind bringing in snow. Conan squealed with delight and clapped his hands, trying to catch the snowflakes. Kader grabbed his hat last-minute and shoved it on his head while he was distracted. Otherwise, he would just throw it in her face, and they would get into a swearing contest that neither of them would understand.

She had never known snow before Arebe, or at least not thick snow. For reasons she did not understand, it was soothing to her; it was so silent as it fell, with no noise but the swish of the wind and the occasional calls of wolves off in the mountains. Conan, upon hearing one particular howl, did his best to replicate it, and Kader could not help but smile as she gingerly stepped down the snow-thick steps.

"You should practice that for Momma and Daddy. I'm sure a wolf child is just what they always wanted." She walked out into the snow, boots crunched down at least two feet deep, and finally gave up finding a place that wasn't as deep, and sat down. Conan grabbed at the snow excitedly from her arms, throwing it up in the air, and then smashing his fists down on it, laughing.

They could not stay out too long, of course, lest Conan get a bad chill. Two sick people were enough for a house of four. But she knew how much he loved the snow; if she released him he would do his best to smash into the snow and try to tunnel into it. It would be interesting when he got coordinated enough to actually manage it; maybe he would find the wolves, howl at them, and join their pack. It was best to hold him so she did not have to find out.

She did not bring him out there just for their enjoyment, though. He would get tired more quickly in the snow, and then he could get some hot cocoa, and then a nap. It would give her some peace and quiet to read a book and think on Eilís' words. She knew they talked about her, but it was always odd having Eilís be so open about it. It was one of the many things that intimidated her about the woman, and it was an impressive list, starting with the woman's piercing eyes framed on a face that seemed to be sculpted by a master artist. Kader, by contrast, looked like a porcelain doll's head smashed onto a curvaceous body; all that gave her were confused stares and mutters, not respect.

The snow calmed her thoughts, though, and she could forget the woman she shared Tegre with, if it could be called that. Instead, she focused on teasing Conan. She sprinkled snow over him, got a screaming laugh, and then snow thrown vaguely in her direction. By the time he was three, Kader anticipated Conan would be a world champion snow ball fighter, because he did not have enough awful traits. The next snow ball nearly hit her in the neck.

She let him take some snow back inside, and it kept him busy as she warmed milk for the hot cocoa. They used the mix sparingly due to its expense, but Kader knew a full stomach would help Conan fall asleep faster. Of course, she could just give him plain milk, but for reasons Kader could not articulate or even explain to herself, she wanted to give him a treat. Of course, by the time it was ready, Conan's snow had melted, and he had smeared the water across the wooden living room floor, just to thank her for her care. She tried to ignore it as she presented him with the chocolate treat.

Conan's grey-blue eyes lit up when he tasted the drink. "Chokwet!"

"Yes, chocolate. That is probably the only nice word you know." Kader grabbed a towel to wipe up the floor.

"He knows your name."

Kader jumped at the voice -- years of hearing it had not stopped it startling her -- then whirled around, glaring at Tegre. "Get back to bed."

"The tea helped. Need to walk." He sat down beside Conan, who was too focused on his drink to greet Daddy just yet. Kader supposed that if he was going to vomit, sitting cross-legged on the floor would certainly do it.

"Fine, but remember, your fault if you puke." Kader knelt down and began wiping up the water. Then, Tegre's words registered, and she paused. "He knows my name?"

"Conan, sweetie." Tegre ruffled the boy's hair to get his attention. "Who's that over there?" Tegre pointed to Kader, watching them with suspicion.

"Kader!" Conan then immediately returned to drinking, but Kader did not stop staring at him. The toddler's pronunciation was near-perfect, as if he had said it plenty of times.

"So why the hell does he call me 'Momma' then?" She scrubbed the floor even harder, trying to process the events. Conan knew his parents' names relatively well enough, but she had no idea he knew hers. He never called her by it; she was always "Momma" or "Auntie" or even "Bitch" because the child was being taught terrible things.

"We don't know. He calls Eilís that too. He seems to know Eilís is his mother, but just likes calling you the same thing."

"More chokwet!" Conan threw the bottle at Kader, thus giving her more to clean up as drops of hot cocoa sprinkled the floor.

"No, Conan. Chocolate is a treat, remember?" Tegre took Conan into his lap and hugged him; the child squealed and squirmed for a moment before deciding it was just as good as more food.

"Well, all right then. I guess he can make all of his peers eventually think he somehow has two mothers and a father. Great Dragon knows it's not much worse than him swearing at all of them." Kader balled up the towels and threw them into the mesh basket for dirty laundry; she would have to do that for Eilís if she did not feel better soon.

"Inwuda!" Conan grinned at her.

"Or, you know, calling them that." They both laughed, then, Tegre not questioning the new word. The three of them were all fairly certain Conan had no idea what he was saying, but sometimes he seemed to. "I was going to put him down for a nap and read a book. You should go sleep."

"I'm not tired." Tegre rose slowly to his feet, and did not protest when Kader took Conan from him; she decided not to question him on that point. "I would rather spend some time with you."

Kader looked askance at him as she gently rocked Conan, then walked toward the bedroom. She lowered her voice upon seeing Eilís curled up in bed, breathing deeply. "Did she tell you to?"

"No. She finished her tea and went to sleep." Tegre shuffled his feet at the doorway, looking away. Eilís was right; they really needed to turn that habit into a dance routine. "If you'd rather I go to bed, I can. I don't want to get you sick."

She laid Conan in his crib and turned back to Tegre while the baby yawned. Her doctor instincts wanted to drag him into bed and tuck him in, to be sure. But it had been ages since they had time alone, all thanks to the toddler falling asleep behind them. Eilís had said she did not care, and she was indeed deep asleep; surely if she had suspicions about them, she would be sneakily listening to them, or just outright protesting. Kader certainly would.

For all she was a doctor, Kader thought, she had a streak of selfishness nearly a mile wide. "I'm going to go read. You are welcome to grab a book too. Just vomit away from me."

"What are you reading?" He waited for Kader to exit the room before following quietly, relief plain on his face but hidden from his tone. Tegre rarely ever showed emotion in his voice; it helped that he rarely spoke up.

"Some Arebian medical journal. There's an article about morbid anatomy in it this time, along with a debate about leeches. Between the two of them, I should add another dozen swears to your child's vocabulary." Kader grabbed the journal in question and settled down on the couch. It was thick, being compiled from the many countries on the continent. There was a reason they only printed it out four times a year, and for a hefty price. Thankfully, going back into practice had gotten her a discount.

"I'll follow along." Tegre sat down next to Kader and rested his head on her shoulder; once, it would have given her pins and needles, but she found that she was slowly growing to like and almost crave the physical touch. Having not had it in so long gave her an awkward mix between the two, but she decided to live with it.

"It may make you vomit. Especially some of the pictures." When she got no answer, Kader patted his shoulder awkwardly, then decided to keep her arm around him. "Fine, if you're so determined, you can stick around. You can keep me from going on a murderous rampage. Should we start with the morbid anatomy or the leeches?"

"Anatomy. Slightly less nauseating than leeches."

"You'd be surprised." Yet she still flipped to the article, which of course started with the best picture they could of a human cadaver, though it was in the weirdest condition she had ever seen. "See? Told you."

"What were they looking for?" Tegre was unfazed; she supposed he had seen more gruesome during the war. "And why is his heart where his gall bladder should be?"

"Sorry, I'm too busy trying to figure out why his brain stem somehow ended up next to his testes. Are they trying to say something really stereotypical with this photo? 'Thinks with his dick so he can eat his heart out'?" Kader groaned at the picture while Tegre chuckled so softly she could barely hear it. "That is a gross mental image. This article is going to be awful."

The snow continued to fall outside, the wind hissing past the windows and almost seeming to whisper names. Yet as Kader began reading, and soon shortly after ranting and getting soothing responses from Tegre, she felt a certain warmth inside her heart, which was in her chest where it should be.

It almost felt like home.