Welcome to Gaia! ::

Kiae looked around as well, taking note of how much it had grown and how busy people seemed, even so early in the morning. "Do you want to explore the city and meet me later?" she suggested, not wanting to take away from his excitement.

(I'll split it into two posts, so Ethin has something to do in-between. It just seems too long and too much for one.)

Kiae smiled at his concern before sobering slightly, recalling where she was going. She rested her hand on his arm again to keep them from being separated in the crowd before returning her attention to navigating the crowded streets, hoping the woman was where she had been last.

The walk across town was longer than she had thought and she was slightly nervous by the time they reached the shop. Kiae glanced up at Ethin, doing her best to remain calm. "Just wait out here, Ethin. I'll be back momentarily," she ordered, sweeping into the store and shutting the door behind her before he could protest. An elderly woman looked up from a book, smiling thinly at the sight of an Aes Sedai.
"Ah, dear, the notion of an Aes Sedai coming to see me brings a tear to my old eye," she chuckled, ignoring Kiae's glare.
"You're one of the few wilders who haven't burnt out yet, don't press my patience, Jezel," she warned the woman. "I need your help in something."

The woman grinned as she eyed the woman, older than her by decades but looking young enough to be her granddaughter. "So, my skills are of use to a Sister?" she said mockingly, but relented at Kiae's expression. "All right, let me look at you, girl," she ordered, stepping close and resting a hand on Kiae's stomach, through the layers of fabric.
Kiae remained still as stone, praying that the woman would lay her fears to rest. The woman was able to lay weaves that sensed if new life was growing in a woman, a strange talent but one that was useful to many people, Aes Sedai and commoners alike.
After a moment, Jezel glanced at Kiae and nodded. "You're with child, girl," she said.
Kiae gasped and turned on the woman fiercely, panicking. "It's a lie!" she spat.

(Well, I'll edit mine so he came in right as Kiae found out she was pregnant, so it'll all make it easier on us. No prob.)

Jezel cackled as Ethin stormed in, delighting in the look of desperation on Kiae's face. "I don't tell lies, girl! You should know better than that," she scolded the Yellow. Granting her a small mercy, she refrained from mocking Kiae's condition in front of the man and instead moved to a back room, laughing still.

Kiae remained frozen in place, her mind racing in horror at what was happening. She knew whose child it was, there was no other person, and the floor tilted up to meet her.

Jezel chuckled, shaking her head. "I didn't do anything to your Aes Sedai, young man," she informed him curtly. "I'll be she's just overcome by the joyous news I've given her," she added in amusement, knowing full well the information was anything but welcome in the Yellow's point of view.

Kiae reluctantly returned to a state of semi-consciousness, feeling Ethin near and shifting slightly in an effort to see where she was.

Jezel retreated further into the room, shutting the door not so much for privacy but for self-preservation. The old woman had no wish to anger the Warder or Sister any further and knew anymore provocation would not bode well.

Kiae's eyes filled with tears and she buried her head in his chest, clinging to him as hard as she could. "I'm...I'm..." The words stuck in her throat and she shook her head, fearing he would abandon her after finding out. "I'm with child," she whispered in a voice so low she could barely hear herself.

Kiae winced at his sudden silence and withdrawal, curling into herself even as she pulled loose from his grasp and scrambled to her feet. She touched his cheek lightly, trying to blink back several stubborn tears. "Ethin...I'm so sorry," she managed, humiliated and horrified and crushed. There was no rejoicing, no amazed looks this time.

"I wish it was his child," she thought, eyes widening even as it crossed her mind. She jerked her hand away and turned for the door, fearing she would lose another Warder due to her own stupidity.

She flinched away from his touch, keeping her gaze on the ground in front of her. "I've done you a horrible wrong, Ethin," she said softly, struggling to keep her voice under control. "It happened before we - when you were with Esole," she continued. It was no excuse, she knew, but nothing seemed right to her anymore. "You did not become my Warder to be hurt like this and I did not intend for it to happen. You should go back to Esole," she finally said, wanting to swallow the words the moment they escaped her lips.

"Fool! He'll leave you alone!" she argued with herself, while believing it was only right that he do so.