love the way your love keeps me up high

Sohalia

New Haven was blanketed in a thick sheet of snow, broken only by a double line of footprints in the powder leading up to the front door of the clinic. Standing under the awning that offered some shelter from the still-falling snow, Soh stomped her ice-crusted boots on the steps, breaking off the biggest clumps in an attempt not to track melting snow into the lobby. She was bundled up in several layers of her warmest clothing - which was to say, she'd stolen a coat of Zavien's, given that her wardrobe was mainly built for Torchline - and her cheeks were pink from the cold, a gleeful glint in the silver eyes that peered out above her scarf.

Though her face was half-hidden by the woven fabric, her eyes crinkled with happiness as she smiled at her boyfriend. She squeezed his hand through the gloves covering her fingers before stepping inside. The warmth of the clinic immediately hit her, and she shrugged out of the borrowed coat, hanging it on a hook by the front door. Her scarf followed, tucked carefully into the pocket of the coat so as not to lose it.

The clinic was small, and this early in the day, she and Zavien were the only people in the lobby. After approaching the front counter and checking them in, she settled down on a comfortable couch in the corner, tugging Zavien down with her, to wait. Her hand smoothed over her shirt, momentarily highlighting the soft swell of her belly that was hidden beneath the loose fabric. It wasn't much yet, but enough to notice - or it would have been, had it not been Deepfrost, and therefore hidden beneath layers upon layers meant to keep mother and baby warm enough.

This appointment had a twofold purpose: to check and make sure they were both healthy, and to determine the gender of the baby. Soh was considerably more concerned about the former, though she had a healthy curiosity about the latter. She was eager to stop calling the baby 'it' or 'they' and start thinking about names more seriously than the few she'd tossed out at random here or there. She was also anxious, though she wasn't quite sure why. She'd be happy no matter what gender the baby was, as long as they were healthy. Still, there was a flutter of nervous anticipation as she settled in to wait for her name to be called, hand still gripping Zavien's tightly. 

Glancing sidelong at him, her gaze traced along his profile, admiring and adoring in equal measure. "Are you nervous?" she asked. "I am, a little."

Minor powerplay allowed without permission.
Feel free to use force/magic on Sohalia.

Zavien

I believe that the sun has risen,

Snow crunched beneath his boots as he stepped up to the clinic, feeling a bit dazed and disoriented as to how he'd found himself here - well, he knew how but it still didn't quite feel real. From the day Soh had told him she was pregnant, it had all felt a little like a dream that his brain was slowly catching up to. The more they talked about it and the more she began to show, the more that the dream started to settle into reality, but even then, he hadn't been able to picture more than a vague silhouette of a baby, imagining a nondescript suggestion of what the child might be like. Knowing the health and gender though... it would change everything.

Zavien buried his nerves beneath the flaring of excitement, smiling at Soh as he opened the door to the clinic and let her in. He followed, releasing her hand only long enough to strip off his (other) jacket and place it on the hook. Still, the warmth barely registered as his mind raced, his attention glued to the various informational pictures on the wall, the kind faces behind the desk, the woman at his side. 

He leaned closer to her on the couch, running his thumb along the back of her hand. Zavien wondered if she was asking because she could tell how nervous he was, or if she truly couldn't tell. Either reason had him chuckling low, speaking quietly despite being the only ones in the room. "I don't think I slept all night, but I can't tell if it's terror or excitement." He laughed again, and, ignoring the possibility that she or the baby could be anything but healthy, asked, "Do you have a guess? A mother's intuition?" He'd heard some women could tell the gender based on the pregnancy, and although guessing once wouldn't prove the theory, he was curious to know what she suspected - or possibly hoped for.

not only because I see it, but because by it I see everything else.

Sohalia

Maybe there was a certain level of intuition in Soh's question - or maybe she just knew Zavien well enough by now to hazard a guess. Aside from the fact that she shared his bed (and the distinct lack of snoring from his side the night before might have afforded her a clue), he'd been a ball of excited anxiety since the moment she'd told him she was pregnant. She could understand, because so was she: she had very little in the way of parental figures to draw inspiration from, so she still felt a bit as though she were going into this pregnancy blind. But maybe there was something to a mother's intuition, because she also felt in her bones that everything would turn out alright - and she wasn't sure that Zavien had quite settled into that same certainty.

Half-turning to face him on the couch, she shook her head. "If you listen to old wives' tales, it could really go either way." Morning sickness pointed to a girl, but her glowing complexion pointed to a boy; there were other myths around ways to tell the gender, but Soh wasn't quite sure she believed any of them. "I have a feeling it's a girl," she admitted all the same. "But I couldn't tell you why I think that. It's just... a gut feeling." Not quite a hope - she really didn't have a strong preference either way - but a hunch that she'd had a hard time shaking. Given that she could just as easily be wrong as not, she'd largely ignored the feeling, but this seemed as good a time as any to share it.

"But as long as we're healthy, I don't care if I'm wrong." Wrinkling her nose at him affectionately, she added in a teasing tone, "A tiny Zavien running around would be absolutely adorable."

Minor powerplay allowed without permission.
Feel free to use force/magic on Sohalia.

Zavien

I believe that the sun has risen,

Despite Soh's insistence that it was all baseless suspicions, Zavien took her answer with an easy smile and tilt of her head. "Hmm. Well, I'd never bet against a mother's instincts." Many others may prove to be wrong, but he found it hard not to be convinced based solely on her answer, certain that her connection to the baby must give her some kind of inkling. Chuckling, he shrugged his shoulders. "At least we don't have to wait long to find out if you're right." He didn't know how long the test would take, but he'd venture to guess that they'd know the gender within the next hour or two. Just the thought made him giddy. 

Some of the tension loosened as he let out another laugh, shaking his head. "Oh no. I was a handful. Couldn't sit still to save my life." In fact, he'd quite literally refused to stay in bed despite a roaring fever, and his mom had been forced to trap him in bed until he recovered. 

Squeezing her hand gently, his eyes shimmered. "I think a tiny Soh would be cuter." Brave, kind, and just like her mother. No matter how they looked or acted, one thing would remain the same: he would love them with his whole heart.

not only because I see it, but because by it I see everything else.