Redsand Canyon aliquo

mereo held.

germanicus sought @Aquene today. he did not like to disturb her especially with what he had heard of towhee's predicament. but her knowledge would be integral to his investigation.

the imperator did not come empty-handed. he brought a pair of geese as payment and waited in the commons for her to meet him at her leisure.

Towhee was a pain in the ass patient, but she was Aquene’s pain in the ass patient. She did love her friend, but she could not help but fret like the mother she was, even if she’d never pictured herself as a mother before. Still, mother and children were doing well with her return to feedings and it gave Aquene hope that everything had balanced out with her diet change.
 
Her own pups were slowly growing, but starting to become more independent. It felt like time was flying and dragging at the same time. Aquene took the opportunity to stretch her legs, noting the Imperator’s return and his presence in the commons. “Imperator. How was the trip to Akashingo?” She asked, curious as she dipped her head respectfully in greeting.

"it was fruitful, lady aquene," germanicus murmured. "motherhood agrees with you, even though you have been so divided between medicine and your own children."

he straightened. "i will not keep you. akashingo is why i am here. do you have a moment for a discussion?"

Fruitful. She wanted to ask if he had found the culprit but his sweet words instead fluttered by and she offered a soft smile in return. “Thank you. It has certainly been enlightening.” It had it’s challenges, like the twins peeing all over her and each other, but it had it’s joys as well and she agreed with his findings. Motherhood had suited her quite well… and that in and of itself was terrifying.
 
The mention of a discussion made her ears perk and her head tilt to the side as well. “Yes, of course. I have a few moments to spare. Kallik is with the children now.” The small breaks were necessary for her own sanity, though she loved her children dearly. She was just so thankful that Kallik was such an amazing father. It had certainly made things easier. She hadn’t exactly known anyone from her homeland to be father of the year and had expected the burden to fall solely on her despite knowing how Mereo was so vastly different.

"fatherhood suits kallik. you both deserve such a blessing and i know you will comport yourselves well inside it."

the time had come to utter what he meant. the eagle paused only a moment. "if i described to you the state of pregnancy in which i found a woman, might you be able to give me a range of conception, current status, and due date?"

She concurred with Germanicus’ opinion. Her husband had been meant to be a father, regardless of his apprehension. “Thank you.” She offered back softly.
 
At the mention of a pregnant woman, a frown found her features. “I might… there are many factors that play into things. I could give you a typical estimate but the best way for me to know for sure would be to do an exam myself.” She spoke honestly. “Certainly if she were in the early or late stages I could give the best estimation.”

"she is a woman of medium height and slighter build. her pregnancy is far enough along for even me to notice. i recall she moved carefully, as though she was unused to the new weight. she did not seem ill, but we did not dine together."

the eagle paused.

"ramesses intends to put a new queen on the throne once the mourning period for his first has passed. a woman who found herself pregnant with his children might have a motive for taking the life of a queen."

She listened carefully as the Imperator explained the situation that the mother presented. “If she was pregnant enough to notice then she could be as little as four weeks along or as much as seven weeks… anything beyond that and she would be getting ready to give birth. Four weeks is when a bump starts to form. The bigger the bump, the further along she was but it's not fool-proof. It also depends on number of pups and from mother to mother. Some show more than others and some don't even know they're pregnant until they're in labor.” She explained with a frown on her features. “She wouldn’t know for the first few weeks she was pregnant unless she was a trained midwife or had gone through pregnancy before… even then, she wouldn’t be able to detect it until closer to when she started to show.”
 
The idea of a murder in order to gain a marriage and a throne made her sick, but she wasn’t sure if her knowledge helped since she did not know the timeline of when she was interviewed or really how far along she was either. “It could happen… perhaps Qiao knows when the woman became with child? She could confirm a more concrete timeline.” It was, after all, her pack.

he nodded. aquene was skilled with her approximation. she provided more information and he considered all of it in a somber silence. "based on what you have said, it is likely she will give birth before the end of akashingo's mourning period for queen satsu."

he was relieved that he would not be there for that.

"i will seek lady qiao. i interviewed her while i was there. but this might merit another message. the palace doctor is not forthcoming. she knows more than she will say."

Aquene listened, though she did not understand the significance of the information that the Imperator offered up. Mourning periods were non-existent in her culture… what further concerned her was the mention of Qiao and the idea of her not being as forthcoming as she would like to admit. With that, the Equestrian’s frown simply intensified.
 
“She has her secrets just as we have ours… I struggle to believe that she’d mean harm to anyone, or that she would protect a killer.” Perhaps that was just wishful thinking given the fact that she had helped deliver her children. “Please, do not hesitate to call for me should you need to know anything more. I will help as best as I can throughout this investigation.” It was about finding justice, finding a murderer.

"thank you, aquene."

he considered.

"would you be available to help me organize a sort of get-together for all the children? i think it would be useful for their future bonds if they came to know one another early. when they are all ready, of course," he rushed, for he still did not understand the developmental periods for puppies.

The thanks was met with a soft smile and a nod, though it required no verbal recognition.
 
The next question made her ears perk as she considered it, humming softly before nodding. “Yes, of course. I’m sure Ruenna and Towhee could help me as well. All the children can be a hassle to wrangle at times.” There was a glimmer of amusement in her eyes as she reflected on them. “I am sure they will all be close. Bonds at that age run deep, and in my experience, they hardly ever die.” For the first time in some while, she thought to her friend, Chenoa, and wondered how the girl fared… if she too had made it away from the hellscape they had lived in.
 
She missed her, even if she did not often let her mind wander to that life anymore.

"then i will see you and yours again, even when you and kallik have moved away?" it was a dry jest. he did not think aquene would abandon them so swiftly. and he knew that arsenio would bring his own children along.

but he felt he wanted to hear it all the same. germanicus was fond of aquene, in his silent and unsaid manner. she had devoted all of herself to the well-being of mereo.

The question was brought with a smile, sensing the jest as a light twinkle hinted at her eye. “You can’t get rid of me that easily, Imperator.” It was just a hint of a tease back as well. Who else was going to go on angry feminist rants at him when he did something she viewed so incredibly bullheaded like making two wolves get married just because they were doing the horizontal tango?
 
That was her job, and no one was fit enough to take it now… perhaps Towhee could because she certainly had the spunk but it felt like a job Aquene would never really be able to hand down to anyone. Either way, she would be there, her kids would know his and Ruenna’s and she would continue to be close to Mereo, even after they traveled into the Vale.

the imperator's gaze was pleased. "good. then i shall look forward to our talks, lady aquene."

she would thrive in her role, of that he was sure. "is there anything you need?" germanicus asked after a moment. "i had the notion to go hunting. perhaps you might send me with a plant description and ask me to locate it."

his voice was dry. his eyes were lit with amusement.

Lady Aquene. It struck her in that moment just how fortunate she was to have found Mereo as a home. Despite her disagreements that she'd had over the months she had lived there, she found she got along with everyone... or, mostly everyone.

She hummed softly at his question, nodding. "With so many of us nursing right now, I always like to have a supply of Fenugreek at all times." She offered, knowing that it was mostly because she required it in order to keep up with the demands of two pups. "It looks like a clover, but only has two stems... green, grows in grasslands." She explained further so he knew what he was looking for. "It helps to keep up milk supplies in nursing mothers." It would help keep their next generation of soldiers strong.

milk. nursing. fenugreek. germanicus focused on that last. aquene described it and he nodded, committing it to memory.

"i will gather it for you then, medicus." a small warmth touched his eyes as he straightened.

"if there is anything else you need, do not hesitate to ask."

he would turn then if she did not stop him. in some hours' time, aquene would find at the tablinum a healthful new supply of carefully pulled fenugreek plants.

He agreed, the touch of warmth bringing the faintest hint of a smile to her features. Not long ago she merely considered him an obstinate pain in the ass, but he had grown into more, into a friend who had taught her valuable life skills. She would always be indebted to both him and Mereo for that, even after they were gone to Epoch.
 
“Thank you, Imperator. As always, your help is invaluable.” She offered with a dip of her head, watching as he turned. She turned herself, heading to check on her children while he went off to complete his mission.