feeling all the shades of indigo

Vervain

even the darkest night
will end

Hardly a mindreader, Vai turns her attention to Remi as he lingers in the doorway to the room, and she motions to a side table for him to place the tea down onto. "You could bring me a cup of tea," she suggests, raising her eyebrows at him with a whisper of a smile on her face. "Hotaru as well. It won't do much good sitting there in the pot, will it?" Rising to her feet, Vai moves to collect a few more pillows and some fresh towels from a closet, carefully helping to sit Hotaru up, if she allows, so she might be more comfortable in the bed.

"A lot of waiting and a lot of breathing," she agrees with a gentle nod of agreement. "I'll try to find you something you can wear, alright? I don't know about you, but I find myself very restless in labour. I like to move around." And in the meantime... "Would you like to tell him?" she asks with a lowered voice and another small smile. "I am one of twins myself, but I've never been on this side of things. I may need your help if you have done this before."

and the sun
will rise

REMI

& now I'm all alone in the dark of night

Remi both does and doesn't step forward.

Remi's projection nods crookedly, a look of oh, of course! boyish on his features as he jerkily moves to pour them each a cup of tea. The other Remi nears the bed with something like a tentative question written on his face. Never has he been in this position before, but it doesn't take any sort of predatory insight on his part to know that Hotaru's bedside is not a place he's automatically welcomed to just now, even if it is because of him that she's here. If she allows, he'll slip his hand into hers that she might squeeze his instead of the bedsheets. Hopefully, the press of his skin rather than cloth will be more satisfying if nothing else.

"I can put you to sleep?" He suggests with a tilt of his head. "And come to rouse you once things are about to begin? Or..I can push your soul from your body for a time and inhabit it, so that you will not have to feel anything?" Remi, so divorced from what is normal, has no idea if any of this sounds plausible or if it sounds more like a nightmare.

The moon is shining but I can't see the light

maybe who we were then is shattered, but who we are in the end is what matters

She's not so foolish as to speak her mind, but she's weak enough to give a grateful grimace that falls short of a smile as Vai seems to move past it, sitting up to allow more pillows to be stacked behind her naked back. At least Remi's job at tucking in the sheets means she's still proper enough - or as proper as birthing gets.

"If you could. Walking has always helped speed up the process for me." And with exhaustion and injury otherwise pulled from her body by Vai's talents, it's an option now. "I'm a twin myself," she confides, "and I've had twins before. It's not much different from birthing one, just higher risks and I'll be more exhausted after the first." Whatever knowledge she can share now, clear-headed and aware, it is free for the taking. As Remi appears, she nods to herself. "I'll tell him."

His hesitation is clear, but her hand travels the distance of the bed to find and squeeze his own, welcoming him at her side. "I'd prefer sleep, it's safe to do so this early. After I get some fluids of course." The strangeness of his offers does not daunt her, even inspiring a small smile. "But before you do - Vai confirmed something I suspected." It's a struggle to get her other hand over her belly without turning onto her side, but she gently covers the top of Remi's hand with it, looking up into his eyes. "There's two babies. Twins." Something they'd known was a possibility, but now is a reality. Only hours and a lot of work separating them from meeting the two new souls.

Vervain

even the darkest night
will end

"Lots of twins in this room tonight, then." Vai smiles softly, nodding and listening carefully as Hotaru explains. "If it looks like it will be a problem, then I can give you a boost of healing magic after the first arrives. I can't imagine doing it twice," she murmurs, accepting her cup from Remi's projection (not before narrowing her eyes between the two alchemists) and moving out of the room to let her explain the situation to him.

Vai has little chance of finding any real clothes for Hotaru to wear, but she does find a bathrobe on top of a pile of freshly dried laundry. It is definitely better than nothing, and so she brings it back into the bedroom to set down on the bed. "Sleep would be a good idea," she agrees gently. "Magic is magic, but it's no substitute for good rest, after what you have been through."

and the sun
will rise

REMI

& now I'm all alone in the dark of night

Though Remi's heartbeat is frenetic in his chest, the emotions he allows to slide from he to the Valkyrie are ones of steadfast calm. Eyes of storms have nothing on the steady strength Remi offers now, even as everything else inside of him drifts away in a hurricane of his own making. Stretching toward her that she might not have to shift so much, Remi's head tilts to the side, though even as Hotaru speaks his expression doesn't entirely change.

Aoife, was adopted in the wake of Ronin's death.
Seren arrived only days after Star and Safrin were together, already a toddler.
Mateo even, was a dream in his mind suddenly made real.

Remi had never prepared for a life before, and certainly never two. 'Alright.' He says quietly, his searching Hotaru's as if he's missed something crucial. Two, he'll come to realize soon enough, is worlds way from one. For now, though, two doesn't change what he's meant to do right in this moment, and so he just nods his not-quite-understanding.

Meanwhile, his projected self offers Hotaru a cup of tea, making it seem suddenly as though Remi himself was a twin, too. "I take it..Vai will know when I should wake you?"

The moon is shining but I can't see the light

maybe who we were then is shattered, but who we are in the end is what matters

"And more to come," Hotaru laughs, a little frazzled but adjusting easily enough to the idea. The size of her belly alone was sort of a hard to miss clue. "Thank you," follows the woman out of the room, her absence giving a privacy to the pair that remain that she appreciates.

Remi's calm is like bedrock to her by time it reaches through the bond, any remaining notions of hurricanes distant and far above the ground. It steadies her, enough to laugh quietly in the foxfire light of the room when the pieces don't click together in totality before her eyes, behind his own. While she is asleep he will have nothing else to do but think. The Valkyrie doesn't envy that fate.

"She will. And once we're to that point, it's faster than you think." Hands squeeze anew, before propping enough to take the robe Vai offers with a smile. "Then sleep I shall. Doctor's orders." It is short work then to dress, drink, and settle back into the pillows. Remi's seaglass green eyes are the last thing she sees before everything else is darkness.

///

Of course waking is worse, because with it comes the reality of pain. Noise bubbles halfway out of her throat before she's even fully conscious, shut down before it can escape but still a strained shriek inside her chest. "Good morning Greatwood," she hisses between her teeth, head flopping back against the pillows. The stabbing sensation in her navel refuses to be ignored however, and her legs instinctively pull up, knees tenting the bedsheets.

Blearily searching for Vai and Remi, Hotaru shakes as the contraction passes. "I'm assuming it's push time?" Already she is preparing, sinking deeper into the mattress in anticipation of the next contraction, aware it will be coming swiftly now.

Vervain

even the darkest night
will end

"Good morning, mama." Vai's voice is at the far end of the bed by now. No longer is the room bathed in twilight and fire. The curtains and shutters are open, and cool air circulates throughout, bringing with it the scent of wildflowers and herbs from Vai's garden. Silently, she draws up the blankets around the other woman's knees and gives a gentle nod. "On the next one, yes."

The witch gives a nod to Remi as well, as if to tell him to stay with Hotaru whilst she's down here at the business end - in the time that Hotaru has been asleep, she has towels aplenty, and has even had time to sneak off to the Sidhe Village for some things. So now, there's even a bassinet nearby and some blankets for the babies when they arrive.

"Okay Hotaru. Are you ready?"

and the sun
will rise

REMI

& now I'm all alone in the dark of night

There are whispered words in the time that Hotaru sleeps, but for all the world, Remi could not say how much time passed. Vai suggested he might sleep as well, but of course this was met with a stubborn shake of his head, as she must have known would come. Pacing around the living room, breaking up wood into kindling with his bare hands behind Vai's house, to nibbling at various herbs from her garden—all this Remi does in a daze until such a time as he is called back into the house. In short, he's been entirely useless while Vai has done everything which was needed.

Much as Remi might like to keep his duplicate so that Hotaru would have two hands of his to hold, the astral projection can't endure any pain at all, and with the strength of the Valkyrie's grip, he's sure it wouldn't last.

'Whatever you need.' He whispers, leaning against the bed that he might press a cold cloth to Hotaru's forehead as his other hand slips into hers.

The moon is shining but I can't see the light

maybe who we were then is shattered, but who we are in the end is what matters

Vai's soft words and the word mama are a balm she didn't know she needed. The sunlight through the windows and the smell of herbs in a garden beyond rouse her to full awareness. It's not the place she envisioned giving birth, but it's beautiful nonetheless.

"Okay. Okay," she mutters in repeat under her breath, skin pebbling as Vai draws the blankets up. Remi's hand is in her own, the air is cool, her skin is hot. Everything is narrowed to sensation, and her pulse hammers a chorus of it's time, it's time, it's time. "I'm ready." She absolutely isn't, but she hasn't been for any of her births.

Her head lists sideways for a moment as the cloth is placed upon her forehead, taking strength in seeing the Lullaby at her side. Remi's hand in hers is squeezed, and then tightens until her knuckles bleed white as the next contraction comes, a high noise of pain leaving her as she pushes with all her might. Blunt teeth bleed color from her lips as she bites them to hold in any cursing. As the time passes wetness gathers on her lashes and sweat on her skin, breaths stuttering and straining in her chest. And then the first crowns, and anything Vai might say is drowned in the hammering heartbeat in her ears.

But the cry - that, she hears clearly.

Vervain

even the darkest night
will end

Are any of them ready, really? Vai certainly wasn't expecting this to be her morning, but here we are, and she nods to Hotaru as she begins pushing. It's a surreal experience, to be on this side of childbirth, one that Vai finds equal parts humbling and terrifying. Perhaps she had missed a calling to be a midwife, once upon a time. Never too late to start, though, she imagines.

So as Hotaru, powerful and vulnerable as all women in this position are, breathes through the first of her twins entering the world, Vai is ready. The cry that pierces the air is a strong one, and the babe, while small (so small, all tiny fingers and toes) is undoubtedly healthy, and the witch cleans them off and carefully wraps them in one of the clean towels prepared for the moment. When she glances up at the couple at the top of the bed, she's smiling and there are tears in her eyes.

"You have a daughter," she murmurs, shifting to offer out the baby to mother or father - there are a few breaths yet before the next is on the way.

and the sun
will rise

REMI

& now I'm all alone in the dark of night

Hotaru's grip pushes the blood out of his fingers—not that Remi notices. Instead, his eyes are large and focused intently on Vai, if only because he naively thinks there might be something he can do. But no; both Valkyrie and witch have it all well in hand. He's the interloper in this moment, the cause of it, and now just a useless bit of furniture in the room that is good only insofar as he can take any amount of tension Hotaru expels against his fingers.

Filling the room with images of snowscapes and auroras from Hotaru's mind, the alchemist keeps the chill from her childhood world at bay, only allowing through the visual illusion. When her cries grow louder the colours and images sparkle and dance, fracturing only as a new cry breaks through the air. Remi feels his heart stutter and then pound. Adrenaline rushes up from the balls of his feet as guilt anchors him in place. It is the most devastating mixture of love and devastation that he feels, and unfair as it is, just now it's Hotaru's firm grip that provides him support, rather than the other way around.

Hitching in a breath to see the small girl in Vai's hands, held out toward him as if she were his to take, Remi feels as though he can barely breathe, let alone hold this too-small being in his too-large hands. In a blink his duplicate is there, reaching for the girl—his daughter—that he might continue to press the cloth to Hotaru's forehead. The astral!Remi moves to the opposite side of the bed with the baby, kneeling by the bed as he cuddles her close to his chest, worried that the thudding of his heart would be too strong a vibration for her.

The moon is shining but I can't see the light

maybe who we were then is shattered, but who we are in the end is what matters

There’s a temporary relief to the pain that has her sagging back against the pillows, golden halo darkened to caramel, spread like fanning flames. Her own weaken in the wake of the absence of the heart she has carried inside her, but even exhaustion can’t stop her from turning her head as the babe is carried to her side. Remi, for all his tenderness and care, is a vague blur compared to the sight of her daughter’s scrunched and reddened face, wailing cries petering out. Hot tears kiss her temples, the hand that isn’t clutching the real Remi’s reaching out, so that a trembling fingertip may gently trace a wet cheek that matches her own. “Hi baby,” she croons, voice thick with emotion. There is a symphony of emotion that pours from her through Remi’s palm; love the melody, first and foremost.

There isn’t much time between the two, and her hand drops limp to the bedsheet. “Vai?” A pathetic beg for relief, for aid the woman had offered. The long hours have depleted what little was gained through magic and rest. And then the cycle repeats - pushing, breathing, teeth clenching and gnashing, tears streaking into her hair, only interrupted by the glances she keeps sparing for her daughter in astral!Remi’s arms. So tiny, and yet such an intense motivator to soldier on.

And then the second. The cry doesn’t come for a long delayed moment, and Hotaru’s heart stands suspended in ice, struggling to lift herself to see. “Are they-?” frantic tones pause as the wail finally comes, and the remnants of her words dissolve into something close to a sob of relief.

Vervain

even the darkest night
will end

"It's alright. I've got you," Vai murmurs to Hotaru with a reassurring smile, her hands already gently pulsing as she pours healing magic into the other woman, lending her strength and ease to soldier on through this last hurdle. "You can do this," she assures her, though it's unsure whether she's speaking to herself or to Hotaru at this point. It begins again, and in the breath between the baby's delivery and the cry, it feels as though all colour bleeds out of the world itself.

And then it comes, Vai letting out a long, shuddering sigh as she wraps the baby up, wiping at her cheeks as she rises to her feet. "Your daughter has a little brother," she whispers, beaming between the two of them and moving to offer him out to Hotaru that she might enjoy these precious first moments. "Congratulations."

and the sun
will rise

REMI

& now I'm all alone in the dark of night

Tears stream down the alchemist's cheeks—both iterations of him—as he forces himself to take care not to squeeze his new daughter in response to Hotaru's grip upon him. Breathing in shaky intervals that roughly approximate the Valkyrie's own gasps, time swirls away. There are no minutes, just the pause between contractions and screams. Content with her first few sips of air, the child in his arms wriggles but then remains remarkably still as she waits for her counterpart to enter the world.

When he does, when the moment is over, Remi releases Hotaru that he might accept his daughter from his own hands. Dismissing his projection, the alchemist leans against the wall, feeling his knees grow weak and shaky. Rather than a downpour, the rush of love Remi feels is more akin to the floor being dropped out from beneath him. He's tumbling down into it, in a free fall where not even the strong wings can catch him. It's dizzying and terrifying, and gods but they're both so small.

"..thank you.." Remi whispers to Vai. "Grazie per tutto quello che hai fatto." Turning to Hotaru—and offering her their daughter should she want both in her arms—Remi softly wipes a tangled strand of hair carefully from her forehead. "You did it." He breathes with a shaky smile.

The moon is shining but I can't see the light