[center][img]https://i.imgur.com/UWGCWGx.png[/img][img]https://i.imgur.com/JfZ3LOa.png[/img][hr][hr][b][colour=FF3131]Event:[/colour][/b] Best Foot Forward [b]|[/b] [b][colour=FF3131]Location:[/colour][/b] Ersand'Enise[hr][hr][/center]
[color=f7976a]"So..."[/color] began Penny conversationally. This was weird. There was no way it wasn't going to be weird. She'd not gone an hour the entire week without thinking of Ashon. Now, he was here, and she was different, and she didn't know what to say. [color=f7976a]"Putting my best foot forward is actually gonna be a choice now."[/color] She chuckled nervously and then blushed. [i]Shune[/i], she was bad at humour. She shrugged quickly as if to dismiss the poor joke. [color=f7976a]"But not really. The new one is... kinda deadweight."[/color] She was still on crutches, trying to remember to use this extra leg that had never been a part of her. She smiled awkwardly and shook her head as if to wipe away all of her other words. [color=f7976a]"Anyway, what about you?"[/color] Her eyes were large and concerned as she looked at him, in an effort not to be completely self-absorbed. [color=f7976a]"How are you holding up?"[/color]

Ashon looked toward Penny in a quizzical manner; it certainly felt like one of those situations being made far more awkward than it should be. Was it a Yanii thing to overcomplicate a heart felt union? He simply opened his arms toward her and moved in, clasping his arms around her and holding her tightly against him, giving the girl a loving squeeze. [colour=FF3131]“I missed you, lelan’elar.”[/colour]

[color=f7976a]"Girlfriend,"[/color] she murmured, burying her head in his chest. [color=f7976a]"I remember that."[/color] She separated herself by a few inches and looked up. [color=f7976a]"Oilan'elar."[/color] She rose onto her tiptoes, remembering to use her new ones as well, to give him a kiss.

[color=f7976a]"Anyway..."[/color] she went out to arms-length after a moment. [color=f7976a]"Talk to me."[/color] She swept some hair from her face. [color=f7976a]"What's new?"[/color] She smiled and leaned in, grinning. [color=f7976a]"Get to abuse Cal a bit?"[/color] He... had no questions about where she'd got an entire other leg. This was... well... honestly, just why she liked him. Certain things that she got all worked up about just didn't really matter as much as she thought they did.

[colour=FF3131]“Good, you’re not avoiding me then.”[/colour] He grinned in response to her questions, his focus on what was currently important. The topic of an additional leg could wait, or so he thought. It seemed like she was pressing for more information about him, and perhaps it wasn't what he wanted to share at this moment. He reached out and held her hand, gently squeezing it.

 [colour=FF3131]"Cal? He's doing fine. He's got himself some new spoons. The others are... well, they're planting trees,"[/colour] he said, using a Yasoi expression. He gave her a pained smile.  [colour=FF3131]"Five haven't returned."[/colour]

Penny felt something seize her stomach. She'd died too, in the strictest sense, brought back only through the use of multiple unsavoury magics. That would... have to be unpacked eventually, but she sensed that he was allowing space for the heavier things later on. For now... she furrowed her brow, worried. [color=f7976a]"Who?"[/color] Come to think of it, she hadn't seen Manfred, or Qasem. She hadn't seen Casii either…

[colour=FF3131]“Casii, Ismet, Manfred, Qasem, and Ymiico haven’t returned with us,”[/colour] he said, shaking his head to emphasize the finality of the statement. [colour=FF3131]“It was a war zone. The portal dropped us into the middle of an ambush, and it only got worse from there. The place is now a blank spot on the map. The source appears to be from my homeland, Hyparii, led by an individual known as the Mad Avatar with some Perrench connections…”[/colour] He gazed into her eyes and offered a warm smile. There was much he wanted to ask her and even more to say, though choosing to focus on the present. He leaned in closer, tenderly kissing her on the lips.  [colour=FF3131]“I fear what I would do without you.”[/colour]

Penny listened soberly. It was horrid news, but it had not settled in and would not for some time, until their loss became an extended thing: a [i]real[/i] thing that she felt keenly. In turn, she swallowed, drew a deep breath, nodded, and forced a smile. [color=f7976a]"Next time, so help me Dami, we will face it together."[/color] She had thought herself strong. She had thought Ashon strong, but they both had been struck - she supposed - by just how far out of their depth they were against some of the true monsters of the world. [color=f7976a][i]A 'mad avatar'...[/i][/color] She glanced down at her new leg and wondered for a moment, before banishing any thoughts along that line. They had each other for strength, both the emotional and physical varieties, but still, Penny wondered.

She placed her new foot carefully as she walked, trying to do it with only one crutch. [color=f7976a]"Jammy..."[/color] She took his hand and started to walk. [color=f7976a]"You ever... seen one of these before?"[/color] She paused and reached into her bag, extracting the magic lamp from it. True, it had changed her body, but it was not so bad having a spare leg in exchange for being alive when she would not have been otherwise. Perhaps [i]this[/i] was the answer to at least some of the problems that loomed before them.

Ashon couldn’t help but chortle at an avatar of Vyshta praising Dami, or was that the ex-avatar? Perhaps Penny had bargained with the god, and he worked in mysterious ways. He was surprised at how quickly Penny appeared to be adjusting to the leg as well; she was truly exceptional in all she did. Part of him wondered about it; it was certainly a Tusker in the room, and Penny appeared incredibly self-conscious about it. He placed his arm around her, a supportive hold disguised as a hug.

What was even more surprising was the way Penny brought out an oil lamp and held it as an item of significance. He had noticed she kept complaining about how he rarely used a lantern, as Yasoi eyes are better than Yanii eyes when it came to the dark. [colour=FF3131]“Ah yes, the great illuminator, the oil lamp. A device that has evaded us Yasoi for so long, leading us to stub our toes repeatedly at night, especially those of our Yanii lovers.”[/colour] He grinned widely as she planted a kiss on the top of her head. [colour=FF3131]“Is this your way of suggesting you want to move in?”[/colour]

[color=f7976a]"Well, I've twice as many toes to stub now..."[/color] she sighed, grinning at him. Of course the lamp, unexplained, would lead him to think something else amusing. She'd been counting on it for a bit of levity. [color=f7976a]"I'll move in when I don't have to worry about falling fifty feet to my death if I roll over in bed."[/color] She stopped and gave him a little kiss, working the lamp over in her hands. [color=f7976a]"This is no ordinary lamp, Jammy. You know, in Virang and Inipor and Malabaash and that area, they have stories about magic lamps? About beings that emerge from them to grant wishes and play tricks?"[/color]

He smiled at first with the jest, though his expression soon shifted to one of puzzlement. [colour=FF3131]"So, you found an oil lamp with an Ancient Demon in it?"[/colour] His voice held a mixture of surprise and curiosity. However, as he contemplated the implications, his frustration grew evident. She had used the lamp. He turned to look at her, scrutinizing her intensely.

[colour=FF3131]"I failed you, didn't I?"[/colour] He wrapped his arms around her, squeezing tightly, his hug protective, as if trying to shield her from harm. [colour=FF3131]"I should have been there,"[/colour] he muttered, his voice filled with regret and guilt.

Penny hugged him back. [color=f7976a]"And [i]I[/i] should've been there for [i]you.[/i]"[/color] She squeezed deeply and just... breathed him in. [color=f7976a]"It was horrifying. I... more or less died."[/color] She shook her head. [color=f7976a]"But, unless there's a type of magic that lets us be in two places at opposite ends of the world at once..."[/color] She chuckled weakly. [color=f7976a]"Listen,"[/color] she sighed, [color=f7976a]"It'll kill us if we keep dwelling on all the bad stuff, because there's lots."[/color] She separated with a small shrug, trying to push it from her mind. [color=f7976a]"But I'm here. You're here, and..."[/color] She flashed a smile. [color=f7976a]"That's all I really need to be happy for now. Besides, I'm telling you, for real: this thing's magic!"[/color]

He nodded, fully understanding that this moment was about her, not him, and that she needed his strength. [colour=FF3131]"What's important is that you're here now, not there, even if it did cost you an additional leg,"[/colour] he said with a grin, trying to inject a touch of humour. [colour=FF3131]"Luckily, it didn't cost you an arm, too. I'm not sure where they'd stick a third one,"[/colour] he quipped playfully.

He looked at her with a knowing smile as she brought up the lamp once more. [colour=FF3131]"Just like I don't need to be a mind reader to know what you're thinking. You want to use it again,"[/colour] he said, bringing his hand to her chin. [colour=FF3131]"Sorry, but you can't have a second boyfriend. The world can't handle another me."[/colour]

Penny made a pouty face. [color=f7976a]"No, I suppose it can't."[/color] She took his hand in hers and pursed her lips mock-thoughtfully. [color=f7976a]"We may have to adjust the world a bit."[/color] There was scarcely a hint of mirth to her voice. [color=f7976a]"You know,"[/color] she continued, leaning on only one crutch and tentatively using her 'spare leg'. [color=f7976a]"Having at least a hand free is a major benefit to this."[/color]

She began leading him towards Market Square, where various food carts usually congregated on weekend evenings. [color=f7976a]"How do you feel about ice cream, Jammy?"[/color] She swung their joined hands playfully back and forth. [color=f7976a]"I could really go for some..."[/color]

He looked at her and smiled broadly. [colour=FF3131]"Perhaps we could garnish it with saffron,"[/colour] he suggested, making a playful motion with his hand as if he were crushing and sprinkling the spice on top. She had a way of making even the most mundane things sound delightful, like casually asking for expensive items as if they were everyday staples, such as where he kept his silver cutlery. Of course, now he could potentially borrow some from Cal. While he wasn't opposed to ice cream, he certainly wasn't the type to browse through the Yanii markets late at night to find it, and he wouldn’t deprive Penny of it either.

They had their ice cream, for what it was worth, wandering about the market in the burgeoning heat of a late stresian evening, just... being a couple. They held hands, which was new and nice. Penny's hands had always been occupied. Now, only one was and, if she learned to master this new leg, to see it as part of herself, both would be free. She leaned into his side, skipped around him, and fluttered from booth to booth. Of course, she paid.

Bits more came out about their experiences away from Ersand'Enise: the highs and the lows, Ashon's imposing new armour and weapon, Penny's... well, not much, really. Perhaps this would not be as other things had been. It would not all come out in one great cathartic burst. She had slept too long on her own and, that night, climbed into his bed in the Ever Tree with him.

She did not sleep well. It was the wee hours of the morning when she awoke with an unease in her stomach. She rushed to the edge, hopping the entire way out of habit, settled onto her knees, and hurled her last two meals and all of that delicious ice cream into the deep green of the canopy below. It most certainly did not taste as good coming back up.

[colour=FF3131]"Seemed like someone indulged in a bit too much ice cream,"[/colour] Ashon quipped with a playful smirk as he lay on the bed. He was barely covered by the blanket, and he playfully pulled it along as he followed Penny to her side. Gently, he placed his hand on her back and began rubbing it in a comforting manner, trying to alleviate her discomfort. With his other hand, he carefully moved her hair out of the way as she wretched. [colour=FF3131]"Do you want me to fetch some of Seviin's vail'crya? It might help with that unpleasant taste."[/colour]

[colour=FF3131]"It is customary to have a bite between different dishes as it removes any lingering tastes,"[/colour] he explained. He extended his hand, conjuring a fruit from the other room with his magic, which he then rolled around in his hand before peeling it, as it split into pieces. He offered it to her. [colour=FF3131]"You translated it correctly,"[/colour] he added with a knowing smile. He then moved behind her, parting the blanket to wrap it around her from behind.

[color=f7976a]"Okay,"[/color] Penny grumbled. [color=f7976a]"Maybe I [i]don't[/i] punch you.."[/color] She softened it with a smile. She'd been moody, though, and she knew it. Then there was her stomach: even after heaving all of a meal into the abyss, it still felt...not right. She accepted the grapefruit with a nod of thanks and bit into it. She'd never minded the taste and it was good at cleansing the palate. She scanned inside herself with magic, searching for the problem. Then, her brows jerked together. She tightened momentarily. [color=f7976a]"Ashon, my love?"[/color] She twisted on the spot to face him, juices dribbling down her chin. She remembered to put her spare foot on the floor and use it. She regarded him with a detached sort of earnestness.

He tilted his head to the side as he regarded and listened to her. His arms were around her shoulders to keep her warm underneath the blanket as she gave him one of those looks. He offered her a big grin and kissed her forehead, encouraging her to continue.

She breathed in. She breathed out. [color=f7976a]"I'm pregnant."[/color]

It was then that he felt a change occur upon hearing the news of becoming a father. In this precious moment, he opened his mouth and delivered his first Dad joke, [colour=FF3131]“Hi Pregnant, I’m Ashon.”[/colour]

Penny had a new leg now, and she knew [i]exactly[/i] what to do with it. If these were the first children Ashon'amar'loiyang had ever fathered (and she certainly hoped they were), they would also be the last.

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