Wheeling Gull Isle good morning america!

03/13 -- a few hours after this thread.

How could she have allowed this to happen? She had allowed herself to become too caught up in foreign affairs to maintain her hold over those at home. Ying was sure that something good would come from her negotiations, but at what cost? In her absence, @Hua had done something irrevocable; if children came from this assumed union, they would be bastards, and their aunt would be partially at fault.

After escorting @Fengmian to the territory, she made way for the brine pools. It would have been difficult to cry without the salt's assistance, but Ying knew that she wouldn't feel refreshed until releasing her emotions. She stayed there for a while, weeping in chime to the waves, before walking to the border for a patrol.

Huā had come home with a heavy mixture of emotions, none too positive. Fear- fear of the possibility of what that seed could've done to her. Annoyance- annoyance with Ying's inability to put her words gently. Anger- anger with her, for going behind her back. And regret- regret for what she'd done, controlled by biology like a puppet on strings.

She was sulking when she returned- after Ying, making sure to take a different route home and slow her pace, so as not to interact with the girl. And it was peaceful- for a little while. She made her way home on her bridge of sand, crossed her borders, and then began to grapevine them, following the general lines marked by her people. But it wasn't long until the silver girl made her appearance on the path. 哎呀。。。 What use would there be in avoiding her? Their reunion was inevitable as it always would be. So she continues, stopping a few yards from Ying. And... squinting, she could make out the girl's face, blue eyes swollen and red. Had she been crying?

Distracted by her patrol, Ying didn't notice her sister's presence until it was too late. There was no time to veer off; she looked up, and there was Hua, staring back with glassy blues. She sniffled and turned her head, deciding that it would be best to continue onward as though nothing had happened.

You shouldn't be marking borders right now — that's what Hua had been up to, right? — There might be some more of the scent. Don't want to attract any weirdos. Ying kept walking, swishing her tail as a silent invitation for Hua to follow.

She decided to play into it; marking borders seemed better than uselessly moping. 啊，那，对不起。。。 She mutters awkwardly, all the while noticing Ying's sniffling. Best not to address it. Instead Ying continues on, and Huā accepts her invitation, following beside the girl at even pace. 

The tension from the earlier confrontation still hung in the air like a fog, she could feel it thick and heavy. Huā wished she could dispel all the issues, and yet she knew not how. If only Mei were nearby- she could've provided a balance, a mediator. A calm mind to solve the struggles of two emotional girls. But Huā was not sure how, and so her lips were zipped for now, hoping Ying would find the right words to break uncomfortable silence.

Don't apologize. You didn't know.

Their neighboring territories were quieter than normal. She stopped beside a collection of rocks and kicked at the sand, taking the moment to peer over at the bay. The women there didn't seem like the sort to cause problems, but Ying was still curious to learn more about their plans.

After thoroughly marking the area, she continued walking. I'm not angry, Ying said. Her eyes were focused on the path ahead, never breaking to look at Hua. I'm disappointed. I shouldn't have left, and you shouldn't have either. There were more wolves on this island than just the two of them; why hadn't anyone stopped her?

omg shes like huas mom BAHAHAHA

I'm not angry. I'm dissapointed. Ying wasn't looking at her anyway, but Huā's gaze darted shamefully to her feet, in case the girl did try to make eye contact. Being disappointed was perhaps even worse than angry- she was not sure, but neither was good. Unlike her usual high chin and puffed chest, her head hung low to the ground like a prowling beast. 

离开岛屿后开始。 我只是以为我们需要盟友。。。 She sighed. 我担心接下来会发生什么。

sister-mom to the rescue

Ying kept her head held high, but stole a side-glance at her sister's ashamed form. She heaved a heavy sigh and shook her head, bumping gently against Hua's shoulder. Another girl — a girl from before — told me how it works. Knowledge of her body was the only benefit that came from their enslavement.

If you have sex while you're burning, you can get pregnant. It's fine any other time, but... The Empress wasn't the first woman to make a mistake, nor would she be the last. This event only held so much weight because of the circumstances; a leader ought was held to a higher expectation by most, Ying included.

She paused for a moment, eyes widening with a new thought. Do you know who the father would be? Ying turned to her sister with a slight frown, but continued walking immediately after. Were there...how many? How many men had she been with?

As Ying taught, Huā listened. It was beginning to be hardened in her head as both Ying and Hydra had explained it. She had known of sex, but never fertility. And to think the danger could've been avoided! She wished now that the plague had never come over her- she could've met Mal in the same way, but with simpler outcomes. What unlucky timing it had been, and how unlucky to fall upon a young queen, who served as a role model but had little practical education. 

Then Ying asks again, the question of whom, which she had denied to answer before to Hydra. Could she tell Ying? But another question comes, and she chooses to focus on that one. 那。。。两个。 She mumbles quietly, ashamed even at a number that was not so great.

Regarding consensual encounters, the sisters had a surprisingly similar count. The huntress enjoyed the chase; she would frequently flirt them with men, often experimenting with foreplay, though she rarely bed any. Astaroth (she smiled at the thought) was the best of the two men she'd slept with since entering the Wilds, and that didn't seem likely to change for some time.

Who? she asked. Ying turned her attention back to their conversation and consequentially dropped her smile. I want to meet them. No one else has to know. She looked at Hua with honest eyes, silent assurance that she meant what was being said.

Again, Ying asks who. Huā gulps uncomfortably. She wanted to meet them? How awkward would that be! Sure, one was someone she wouldn't hate to visit again- but the other was a random fling. She had bedded him with the thought that they'd never see eachother again. 

我担心你会不喜欢他们。 She admits. 一个人很好，但另一个人...他...很吓人。 Her brow furrows, not sure if it was the perfect descriptor- but he had certainly been unnerving.

Based on their last conversation, she assumed that the first potential father was Mal, the Neverwinter man. He was attractive enough, and he hadn't given her any reason to doubt him — aside from his careless sharing of information. 

The second prospect, however, didn't immediately fit any of the men she had met. Ying paused to look over each shoulder, ensuring no one was near, and lowered her voice to a whisper. Turning to Hua, she said: It doesn't matter if I don't like them. 

Her gaze hardened, though this wasn't the intent. It's not about how I feel. If you do get pregnant, I need to know if the b-babies will have a father. Lucky for them both, Ying was (normally) good at catching her tongue; in the heat of the moment, she'd almost referred to them as bastards.

Standing upright once more, Ying left a small scent marker on the sand beside her to disguise the momentary lapse in patrol. Then, she continued. So, who?

Ying glanced around, and so did Huā, wondering if her sister had heard anything. But no one was around- what was up? Her gaze comes back to Ying once the girl begins to speak again- and she notices her stumble on  the word babies, which has her narrow her eyes slightly.

She turns her gaze away as Ying marks the border, but continues to chat. 他们当然会有一个父亲。 您想知道这个男人是否会和我们一起生活？ She laughs a little. 也许我可以吸引他们。 She jokes with a suggestive wiggle of her rump. Boy, did she have a problem with just answering the goddamn question.

This wasn't the time for light-hearted humor, or any humor otherwise. Ying sucked her teeth and took a step to the side, widening the distance between them to quiet her growing frustration. After a moment's silence, she said: You're serious any other time, but now you want to joke? 

She paused and took a seat, nodding for her sister to do the same. Give me names, then, as an after-thought, Please. There appeared to be two options: (1) Hua brings both fathers back to their pack, which wouldn't work if the father was Mal, or (2) Ying takes on the role of father. Neither sounded particularly attractive, but she did prefer one over the other.

Huā saw Ying as too boring; so what if she joked a little? It was her own body, she thought. She had the right to joke about the consequences- if to ease the tension in her shoulders, more than anything. Oh well. She would learn not to joke about serious things to Ying next time. Clearly the girl was too concerned about resources, parenting- whatever. Stuff she didn't care to worry about right now. 

The third time Ying asks is the time that Huā finally gets irritated with her irresolvable nosiness and gives in. The words came soaring from her mouth quickly like cranes fleeing a gunshot, Mal和Abaddon, She confessed, and cringed as soon as the words left her lips.

Abaddon. Did she know this name? I'll go after we find out. Ying nodded toward Hua's belly, assuming she understood what was being said. Where is Abaddon from? I already know Mal. Obviously.

If you are pregnant, I don't know how long it will be until you can tell. She hadn't gotten that far in the conversation, and having never been pregnant herself, Ying didn't have a point of reference. Being incapacitated really didn't interest her; she figured her sister would be better at it, being less physically inclined anyway.

writing in english rn cuz I'm lazy but shes speaking chinese LOL

The idea of Ying heading out to confront her flings was wholly embarrassing and uncomfortable. She knew that the men were likely ugly without the heat casting a glimmering sheet over her vision- in reality they were average men. She wondered if Ying would judge her standards.

Abaddon didn't tell me much about himself. He was just wandering the beach- his pelt held no pack's scent. She sighed. But he couldn't have gone far. Oh, why would she say that? As if she wished for Ying to find him- of course not! It would he better if the two never met. As for pregnancy, she had no wisdom to give either, and could only offer an unsure shrug of her shoulders.

Nothing more to be said, then. Ying continued forward, ears perked should her sister find something to add. Otherwise, she was content to walk in silence, planning her subsequent adventure through the plains once more.