On my mind, atypical way

@Ira

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Ever since their wedding, he had grown accustomed to sleeping next to Ira. His midnight wanderings had grown less and less common as he, even when the nightmares would wake him from a slumber, would gladly just lay there next to his new wife - the woman of his dreams, and let sleep eventually take him again with her warmth and presence next to his easily soothing him back to sleep.

But something was off - and even he could tell that much. Every morning during his routine he would stumble on a fresh new pile of vomit somewhere near their den. He thought nothing of it at first but now, waking up alone as Ira would leave before he would wake up with the sun, he was beginning to grow suspicious of the little piles hidden around the place. Their placement being of most concern to him as either A) someone was too near to their den at night and he didn't catch them yet, nor did Ira's nose catch their scent; or B) she was sick and not telling him. 

There was a third option and yet he still didn't believe it to be true that he was not only a husband now, but soon to be a father too.

So he thought of the worst case scenarios.

This time as she rose from their den to leave, he was awake and simply let her wander off for a little while. He would not follow her immediately, but with enough time he would seek her out to speak of what was happening. Gently following her path without creeping up too close should it truly be her that was being sick and needed some space. “Ira? Are you okay?”

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The mornings brought sickness, something she thought might be connected to a bad meal at first, but as the days went on it was clearly more than that. Perhaps she should have been more concerned with the nausea but it never lingered long. Sometimes it would even pass without her growing sick, but it seemed that either way it would not go unnoticed. Her husband had followed her that morning, though it wouldn't be until she had reached the trickling stream that ran down the mountainside that she addressed him.

“You wake early.”

An avoidance of his lingering question. The roan queen dipped her head, lapping at the gentle stream of mountain water with a flick of her ear. She still believed herself to be fine as whatever purged her body had not felled her yet, nor had the symptoms truly worsened. Unfortunately, she knew Hieronymous well enough by now to know that answer would not suffice, so before he could push or struggle to find another angle she would move back to the topic at hand. “I am fine, what of yourself this morning?”

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While she drank he took in the moment to watch - even though they were now officially mates, his feelings haven't faltered or changed and it was quite possible they never will. Even with the possibility that she was vomiting every morning, it didn't take away from her beauty and grace - he was simply concerned for her wellbeing and that was all.
 
“I've always been an early riser~” That didn't push him to forget the subject however.

She could avoid the question all she wanted, in fact, even the way she danced around the inquiry was a type of answer as far as he was concerned. It was quite possible she was the one getting sick and just didn't want to talk about it. He wouldn't put it past her, it was definitely an Ira move to do. “Feeling right as rain.” So no change in the usual. Even if he had woken up missing a leg there wouldn't be much of a difference other than a few questions. 
 
“@Quicksilver has taught me a few things, would you like to chew on something to help ease your nausea?” Even with Ira being demanding after the wedding - it still didn't quite click why she might be nauseous.

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Hm...so he had pieced it even in her avoidance. In all honesty, it wasn't much of a surprise. Hieronymous had always been observant and given that he lacked a few senses he really should have honed those he does have. There was little to do now about the news though, but shake it off. “Is that so? It's passed now, but keeping something around the den may be useful.” As much as she wished for it to stop, like clockwork, a new day brought a new bout of nausea.

Still, it never lasted and it was no reason to raise concerns. Not for her husband and certainly not for the pack. “And what are your plans for the day?” It was still early, she hadn't even marked out the day for herself, but she knew Hiero ran a tighter schedule regarding his whereabouts. Maybe there was something they could do together that would prove he had no reason to fret.

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Ira assured the feeling passed - but he refrained form arguing in return that it was for now as it seemed almost daily lately that new puddles would appear around their den. Tomorrow there would certainly be more. Of course Ira would make it difficult to help her, so he had to be clever… Find a way to help without being obvious about it, at least not too obvious. “I believe it was mint - I’ll bring you some later and you can tell me how you feel by tomorrow.” it was more of a statement, she was going to try it his way first at least. And if all else fails he could always ask Quicksilver for aid.

“Well the plan was to find out why you’re getting sick lately - but I suppose if all is well as you say I may as well default to the usual routine.” He tossed out with a casual shrug. “And you? Anything I can assist you with?” Because regardless he would stick around somewhere nearby just in case…

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The roan woman only mused his words with a short hum, but at the very least it wasn't a rejection. There had to be some give, not just on his side but hers as well, that's what it meant to be united after all. Her life was no longer hers alone so if he was going to be insistent then so be it. “Assist me?” She could only chuckle in response.

For years she had been left to "assist" herself, even as Vanderfell formed there were some duties only she could tend to as the High Queen. It felt odd to have another who could actually assist her with the desire to. “I'm afraid I haven't quite gotten that far yet this morning. Perhaps you could enlighten me to what services you intend to offer?”

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At least she still seemed to have a good sense of humour. Humming and giving him a hard time about offering his assistance with whatever she had in mind to do for today. A soft hard time, but she was being difficult none the less. Hiero grinned in response, welcoming the mild banter between them with open arms.
 
“Whatever has to be done.” Offering a casual shrug, he tossed a wayside glance to the roan queen with a single, brown flecked eye. “Is it so strange for a husband to want to aid his wife? Even if it's just an excuse to spend some time together?” In his usual dramatic fashion, he placed a paw on his head and curved his back as though threatening to fall over.

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Ah, so eager to serve, though dramatic as ever. She'd roll her eyes albeit lightly as she stood to walk past the painted man. “I don't recall ever mentioning it strange.” Her tail would flick as she passed, her shoulder brushing against him in her passing. “My comment was in reference to myself, not you.”

She wondered now, just how much he knew of her past. She was never one to tred the topic casually, but they seemed to have various memories of their time before Vanderfell. “I am not used to the attention. So long I've been left to my own devices, I wouldn't know where to begin with asking. ”

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“No you didn't~” He hummed in return. “But you did seem confused.” The way she brushed past him nearly made his legs weak. Even if they had done some things after the wedding, it all just still seemed like a dream. Nothing that affected him all too much - it was all for her than for him after all. But every little touch still brought him as much joy as the last.

So naturally he followed after her. Smoothly without a second thought as his paws just moved on their own while his eyes remained focused on her figure just up ahead.

Hieronymous would only stay behind for a little while before speeding up to catch up to Ira and walk next to her; listening as she stated just how lost she was in asking for any kind of assistance. “I see.” He'd ponder for a moment. It did explain why Ira was such a capable woman. She always seemed to have her shit together, and perhaps being forced to do so by having no other means than that, well, it made sense.
 
“Well, how about you see me just as an extension of yourself? Less as 'help' but just more of you to go around.”

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She eyed him from the corner of her gaze, though eventually turned back to focus on the path she took with careful steps. “Of course, you are my mate. You will always be a part of me as I am to you.” Eventually he sped his own pace until their paws aligned along the trail. “Since we both have no set plans then perhaps a morning patrol would do us both good.”

She was sure he would have no qualms, but she voiced the option anyways. The fresh air would not only aid herself but allow them to remark their borders while it was still early. It had been some time since they had an intruder, but if anyone was to be so brash surely they would try something at a more opportune time like the early dawn or dark of the night.

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“It's just that easy.” He'd chime along, certain he made his point and maybe Ira would be more comfortable to ask her "other half" to assist whenever necessary. They were team, as she said, and there was nothing they couldn't accomplish together now. 
 
“A morning patrol it is.” As she suspected, he had no quarrels with the idea. Whatever she wanted to do. 

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wanna end this here? I can hop into one of your new ones

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works for meee

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“Morning patrol it is.” She smiled looking to her husband before stepping closer to bump into his side once more before as they set off down the mountain. Fortune would favor them with a rather uneventful trip, save for the views and rising sun that shone through the trees. As the day moved on, they would eventually part ways only to tackle the list of chores to tend to.

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