A feather for Kitty

Heading toward Payit, I begin to feel more anxiety than I suspected. Though the party is excited to finally deal with the Chalice of the Gods, Kitty and I had important plans of our own. We had not had time to plan as we had wanted. We had the idea to make this relationship right in the eyes of our parents and to celebrate with our friends in attendance. It all so idealistic back before we went to Nexal. Even when we sent out the Pluma Messages in Nexal to both of our sets of parents, it all seemed a beautiful dream. I particularly wanted to see you in a white dress walking up the temple steps on the arm of your dad. Though you insist that I have met your dad before, I do not remember him. I hope he will not dislike me for supposedly forgetting him. Since we have already met my mom in Ibn-Tulum, I know the messages went out. I find it strange that dad has not answered from Ulatos. I guess we will see how he takes the news of my oath and wedding and his grandchild. We enjoy watching your belly grow, but as yet, you seem to still hide the fact that Ana is getting larger. I suspect vanity and minor illusions have something to do with that. I like you thin and athletic but I love you even more, round and pregnant. I wonder if you will show yourself for my parents or the ceremony. I haven’t brought up the topic. I let you decide, especially after how awkwardly we told the party in the waterworks. Still, we will have to tell our parents about their grandchild somehow.

The feather lift that we borrowed is comfortable. It rides on magic and glides along t jungle paths behind our Far Payit guides. I still do not trust the wild halflings who dart amongst the canopy. They make me nervous because it is so hard to protect Kitty from their darts. The guides are not concerned as they have a truce with them. I must trust this. I try not to show this concern to you though. You hold back your anxieties too. I wish you didn’t but then again I’m a hypocrite. I know you are nervous about this wedding. I have tried to express how large my family really is and how much they are tricksters in their own right. Since you were an only child with so few cousins and whatnot, I thought I needed to at least warn you how crazy my family reunions can get. A wedding will be just an excuse for some wild behavior. It might take a week or two to get all the partying in.

But for now, you sleep and dream in the feather lift with the curtains closed all morning and I snuggle in with you and hold you tight. We choose to enjoy the luxury of the lift rather than our rope trick seeing as the lift was moving and we wanted to enjoy the scenery.

"My bride, how are you this morning? I am so excited to finally see this wedding through. But I’m also excited to show you around Ulatos. It is a garden city on the eastern sea. It’s really beautiful and has incredible food. You will love it. I’ll take you out to the best restaurants in Ulatos and dance with you under trellises of blossoms. Oh and the dress makers are excellent. My father will be able to get the best dressmaker for you. What do you think you would want? Do you want a ceremony at e temple or the beach? Aren’t these details something that little girls dream about, even when they claim to tough and unconcerned about it all as adults? I want to do it up. Our band of heroes want to see pomp and fireworks! But love, what do you want?"

I groan, not being a fan of waking up. I do greet you with a smile though. "Hello my groom, I am lovely, excited despite so much to do! To answer you, I..." I debate whether or not to address the dreaming side of my wishes or the practical side. I decide to share both. "I would love the pomp and perfect fantasy of course! I also don’t want to inconvenience anyone or be too expensive. I don’t want to use up all of our gp on this with Ana on the way. But imagine lilies everywhere..." I drift off my speech as I start to envision it.

"Then we must find a hilltop and call forth white lilies as far as the eye can see. Everyone can wear white and you will be in bright green as the goddess that you are. How would that be? I believe mother has emeralds you could borrow. And you could buy some new lingerie for underneath for later.

I'm trying to picture Stormy as a white clad Goliath."

I chuckle and quietly mumble as I look down at myself, "Bright green might be too attention grabbing..." I laugh at your statement about Storm before looking at you curiously. "I could lay here and describe the beautiful lavenders and pastel green colors that I could see all around the decorations in a little shelter near the beach that we could get married under with my waterfall bouquet of calla lilies and a gown that makes me look like a princess... But my love, what would you like? It's just as much my day as it is yours!"

"In this land, you are a princess no matter what you wear. And if a goddess wants a little shelter on the beach, then I know just the place. On the eastern shore from Ulatos, there stands two giant visages of a man and a woman carved into the cliffs. There is a small ziggurat temple, washed by the sea breezes and covered in flowers. It is dedicated to Qotal and was the last step of the god when he fled Maztica after he first made love to Kiltzi and it was the landing of the god when he returned with the silver knights of Helm to set the land aright from Loliath. That would be perfect for our small party and friends. I myself could stand naked as the visages with my dong upright and proud to wed you, for all I care. I only want to marry you before the gods and father. Then of course, maybe I should be clothed, but I do not care the cut or color. As log as you are there and pretty as princess, I will be happy. We will have to get a Tunqua stone rendering of the scene and keep it for our great grandchildren to see how a goddess marries. Ana will see it and gasp, Mama and Dada!"

I kiss you lovingly before flipping over and cuddling my back up to your chest and putting your hand on my belly. You do it often on your own, but I love the feeling of you, our protector, my doting husband, Ana's loving father, holding my belly that I will prompt you to do it too. "She'll say, 'Mama, Dada, and me,' she'll be there too." The sentimentality starts to hit more often with each new adventure in her growth, yet I fear sharing it with the world still. The sharing of our news had been less than well received by our friends, and with my own insecurities seeing myself become more heavy, even if it is with child. I had hoped that we'd get here before I started showing, but I've since had to maintain a combination of magic and my disguise kit to keep up looking "like myself." I know I can only keep it up for so much longer, but I'm nervous to let myself be seen in a way that's, to my mind, shameful.

I know I'm easy to read, so I switch tracks of thought in case you start to pick up on the anxiety the thought gave me. "Besides, a tunqua stone rendering would be lovely as it can show not how a goddess marries, but how two mates of both heart and tiloni share that love with the world. Now, what's on our agenda for today my love? I know there are many decisions to make! Oh, we get to taste foods for the after celebration!"

I touch my wife's flat stomach and feel the baby bump before I see my hand touch you. "If Ana is to see herself in the Tumqua stone, then you may want to show a little more." Before I can see resistance in your face when I say this, I hear loud hunting horns approach. We lurch forward as the pluma sled halts abruptly. The sled tenders have stopped walking and look into the jungle.

I tell you to wait in sled and watch for trouble. The horns are persistent and overlap each other. I jump out, readying my weapon and see a bare chested hunting party on an indistinguishable number of horses pull our of the jungle with long bows drawn. A blonde headed warrior with a pluma stone tipped spear charges me with a wicked howl. I can do nothing in range as he bears down upon me.

Happy that I’d insisted we both wear underclothing to bed since we didn’t have the most private of settings, I jump out as well, not listening of course, as I see trouble heading right towards you. Instantly, I activate my charming presence out as far as I can, hoping we can get some of them calm at least, if not just the person charging us.

I walk up smiling, despite my genuine confusion, and looking at the hunter, say, "Hello there! I do hope that us passing through didn't disturb you all."

The hunter scrambles upright at the sight of you. As he does, he takes the exhausted Duke in his locked elbow and pulls him up as well. "Hello little lady!" He grins a familiar grin. His face has that same cockiness that you know so well. "Name's Torroch, and I've been beating this jungle boy for all his life. I'm his aunt's oldest, but more importantly I'm his better." He drops Duke on the ground and approaches you. He offers his hand in the Faerunian way, but with a smirk still on his face.

Laughing, I shake his hand and respond, "That's a very Faerunian gesture, have you been? It's lovely to meet some of Duke's family... Oh! I'm so sorry!" I suddenly realized that I'm only standing there in lingerie and quickly, I edit my disguise spell to include clothing. "I apologize for not having been more, uhh, well, clothed I guess... I didn't realized you all were related..." My whole face goes beak red as I deal with the embarrassment of having just shown myself in practically nothing to my husband's cousin and relatives.

I cheat and use my shield feat to shove him down to the ground. Serves him right for looking at my wife's titties. After I get up and then offer him a hand to get up, he yanks me down and starts talking again, ...

"I have heard Lulu was bringing a Fay to our jungle. I did not know she would be a queen. I humbly off my services as guide, since Lulu can't seem to find his way in his own backyard. My home is off your path. I guess I just had to come and greet you myself or he would have missed dinner entirety. You are worth it."

I raise my eyebrows as I smile. "You're too kind. I'm Kitsune and I'm impressed, I can see you studied your Faerunian social norms. You certainly know how to be charming." In the back of my mind, I'm reminded of my previous life as I mentally note how easy of a mark he would've been. His overeager compliments made him an ideal target for her skillset. On the outside, she just maintained her smile as if his charm had worked on her. "I'm so glad you did come introduce yourself, I'd hate it if we missed dinner. Shall we Duke? We haven't eaten yet."

"Let's ride!" I rouse the hunters and lead the pluma sled back to my home. As we take the hidden byways, we pray to all the totums to gain passage, we pass the halfling villages in the canopy and then pass into the South Village. Smells of cook fires and tanning stretchers and children come to me. Home. Boys and girls were practicing sword play and spear chucking in the field. We were proud of how we survived the war. We held our beliefs. We carry on the traditions.

"Fair lady from across the Sea, Come! Take my arm. I lead you to the feast table." I lead Kitsune and Dukalu to the table and motion for Zac to feed the fire a bit and bring platters. "Now. Are you real family, my queen?"

I place your hand on the table and protect it with my own. "Tor, don't give her treatment. I've already married her. She's family.
Feed her first. Interrogate her later. You'll be most rewarded if you do it in that order. I chuckle as the children start to file into the hall.

I walk into the room and see the play between my husband and the new couple. Kalu looks happy. Judging by the lady, he had better be. I've always like Kalu. He's the romantic to my Prince Charming. "Lady Kitsune, I am Lunni, master of this hall. If Tory laid a finger on you, I hope you showed him what to do with it, yes?"

I was more than happy to climb back into the shed as I was honestly wearing nothing. Dropping the illusion, I put on actual clothes, but before I can fix my disguise that hides the baby bump, I'm captivated by the sights and forget to do so. I ask you many questions about all the different things to see and we enjoy the trip talking about your home. Once we arrive, I step out only to realize that I'd forgotten to recast my illusion. I quickly put it back on and hope that no one noticed.

As we enter the hall, my sensitive senses allow me to already smell the food and I'm even more hungry than I had been before. I'm a bit taken aback by Torroch's question and you're quick enough to save me from the uncertainty that question gave me. This is nothing like I've ever experienced before and I'm appreciative of your hand on mine, flipping my hand over to hold yours. I laugh at Lunni's statement before responding, "He was nothing but charming so I never had to, but I will keep that in mind in case he decides to try anything. It's lovely to meet you, please call me Kit though. How long have you two been together?"

I smile at the detente. With her charisma, I think she could be a leader. She certainly has Kalu wrapped around her finger. "We were born together you might say. Do you believe tiloni can be twinned? That they are only whole when mated? We are royal to the temples. Our mother and father were priests and magic users, of the Pluma and the Hishna. Tor and I married and had all these children. The high priesthoods skip a generation. We hunt and trade in the south of Payit, but from our children the next high priests will be chosen. Tor's and my tiloni are joined and happy. I see you must be the same. Uncle Yulus was furious when he found out that Dukalu broke off the engagement to the acolyte and ran away to chase waves and sorrow. All for the passing love of a Faerunian like yourself. But Kit, he found you here in Maztica, did he not?"