#don't be fooled by me focusing on children or childbirth

[paintedscales]

a01 :: Family

A Soft™ Fic Prompt Meme

Wasn't sure if I wanted to focus on Nomin's past, or her future. So I found a way to combine them in a sense. Getting to explore more of her relationship with her sister, and some stuff shortly after the birth of her girls.

Dealing with a small bit of postpartum stuff. Nothing too graphic, minor blood mentions. Mostly fatigue, soreness, and itchiness mentioned and dealt with.

Word Count: 1,801

“You’re a lot less squeamish than I would have imagined,” spoke an auri woman who had been helping to wash and dispose of used, bloodied cloth. Her hair was a deep violet with some softer highlights that bordered on pink -- a complementary contrast to her emerald green skin. Like Nomin, her inky black scales were speckled with color, though hers were of an emerald green nature rather than a lapis blue.

“... I have seen my fair share of blood, Lady Bayarmaa,” Estinien respectfully replied, his tone indifferent as he cinched a burlap sack of refuse and set it off to the side for burning later. “Besides, ‘twould not be fair to Nomin nor your good self were I to leave these matters tended solely by you. It gladdens me that you and yours were able to come by on short notice, though. Ignorant as I am of the nature that comes after childbirth. By the Fury…even by the events that preceded it…”

A soft laugh fell from Bayarmaa’s lips as she cinched up her own burlap sack and set it aside. She walked toward the well pump, drawing water to wash her hands with soap. After she took care of herself, she then offered the pail and soap to Estinien. With some consideration, she replied, “even with my own child, there is much and more I’ve yet to learn or develop. I wouldn’t be where I am without the help of the other Sagahl. Nor would I be here without the aid and support of my husband, Kuzhuk.”

Bayarmaa raised her head to smile at Estinien, watching momentarily as he took to washing up. She then took in the sights of the immediate area, hands going to rest at her hips. She admired the flowers that were planted about the area, not to mention how fresh the air smelled and felt.

“You tell me that you’re gladdened by mine and my husband’s arrival, yet it is I that is gladdened to know my little sister has someone who cares for her in these moments of tiredness, ache, and restlessness.” Bayarmaa turned her relieved expression in Estinien’s direction. “Truly… I worried overmuch for her when I heard she left to travel the Steppe on her own from the Malaguld and the Sagahl that returned to us from the Jhungid. Many summers had come and gone, and often I wondered if I had lost yet another in some fashion.”

Estinien stayed silent for a time, only momentarily casting a lingering sidelong glance at Bayarmaa. She was one of his and Nomin’s daughter’s namesakes after all. Though he had not truly gotten a proper chance to meet her or speak with her at length, it seemed evident that the sisterly bond that both Nomin and Bayarmaa shared ran deep.

The barest twinge of envy tugged at him; for Estinien wondered if he and Hamignant would have shared a bond similar in that brief moment.

“Nomin spoke much of her time on the Steppe…once we had finally put our differences aside, that is…” Estinien admitted. “I think not a day went by that you and the family she made on the Steppe were not on her mind in what I remember of her back then.”

Estinien then looked back at Bayarmaa. “Though, as she told it, she said that the two of you enjoyed a reunion before your traditional Naadam. I expressed it poorly at the time, though I was glad for her to have that closure and reconnection.”

There was a moment’s consideration of whether or not Estinien wanted to bring up what he remembered of Nomin at the time. During most conversations, he would not have thought twice about it, but he kept his mouth shut for the time being, a silence blanketing the air around them. Perhaps that past would have been better left untouched for now.

Silence would have lingered between the two if the pause between both Bayarmaa and Estinien had not been cut short by a toddler running down the pathway from the cabin with a grin on his face and a laugh upon his lips. He came up and threw his body into Bayarmaa’s leg, clutching onto her with that same big grin on his face. The sight would have brought a gentle smile upon Estinien’s lips were it not for the next words out of the child’s mouth.

“Mama! Papa says that you should come back up inside! He said to come get you,” the boy of five summers had said, giggling. At the mention, Estinien looked back up toward the cabin and had been hasty about making his way back while Bayarmaa took a moment to acknowledge her son and give him some positive reinforcement before following suit. The only hope was that the situation was not serious.

Given that a child was sent to retrieve them, the hope was there.

The two were quick about making their way to the bedroom where Nomin had been resting more often than not since giving birth. It seemed that she was in between states of sleep and awake. As it was, Bayarmaa’s husband, Kuzhuk, had taken care of getting the twins changed and placed within their bassinets. When both Estinien and Bayarmaa arrived, he offered them a sheepish look.

“Apologies, I didn’t mean to have Ankhbayar alarm you both. I didn’t think it too serious,” Kuzhuk said. He glanced between both Bayarmaa and Estinien. He then addressed Estinien more directly: “Simply, Nomin has been scratching at her scales and vaguely complaining of aches in the moments she has been awake. I figured it would have been best to get my wife to take care of any discomforts.”

“Ah…well, I’m here,” Bayarmaa said, going over and grabbing the chair that had been brought into the bedroom for her to aid Nomin from the bedside if it was not too intensive. She waved a hand at Estinien briefly as her tone became a little more authoritative, “Estinien…where exactly does Nomin keep her scale oils? I’d like you to bring them to me if you would. And once you have them, you’ll help with the other side. Kuzhuk, if you would allow us privacy?”

“Of course, my Moon,” Kuzhuk replied with a shallow nod. He departed the room, playfully shooing and then chasing the young toddler that had been peeking his head in curiously to watch or eavesdrop.

Once the door had been closed, that was when Estinien had set to making his way into the bath chamber, fiddling with some of the woven boxes that contained anything that would have been related. Eventually, he returned with two bottles and a small tub of the oils that Bayarmaa requested. She wordlessly grabbed them and looked them over, reading the labels.

“Oh, thank the Dusk Mother… She actually labels things in Old Auri and Eorzean…” Bayarmaa sighed in relief, taking the larger bottle and uncapping it.

“Dusk Mother…has nothing to do with it…” Nomin tiredly replied, lifting a hand to scratch at her scales somewhat before her sister slapped her hand away. It seemed she was in a state of lucidity. For how long, however, was left for time to tell.

“Oh, quiet…” Bayarmaa said in jest, giving Nomin a slight smirk as she then grabbed the younger auri’s arm and gently started applying some of the oils around the edges of her scales and skin. She handed the bottle to Estinien and instructed him to start on the other side. All the while, she affectionately scolded her younger sister: “you have to remember not to scratch so much. It shan’t benefit you any if you’re to loosen your scales.”

A small ‘hmph’ came from Nomin as she shimmied herself to a more seated position. Both her arms at this point had been taken up by both her sister and her husband. Though part of her wished to use her arms, she could not deny how their ministrations felt soothing. Both in the fact that it alleviated her itches, and put some of her aches to rest.

“How have you been feeling? No shivers or chills since yesterday?” Bayarmaa asked, her tone going more serious as she worked the oils in.

Nomin gave a slight groan of protest, as she did not want to answer too many questions. However, she gave a sigh and sunk back into her pillows. Taking a moment, glancing at Estinien and then looking back in Bayarmaa’s direction, Nomin replied with, “... just tired and sore mostly…. I feel like even my worst battles haven’t worn me out so…. No shivers since yesterday, though.”

“I suppose that is rather telling,” Bayarmaa considered. She sighed silently in relief knowing that Nomin had not been experiencing any chills past the initial moments after delivery.

“... I’m happy, at least. Even if sometimes it might not seem like it…” Nomin said, closing her eyes and smiling to herself. She soaked in the feeling of her scales and skin being cared for, though she had enough clarity of mind in that moment to have been grateful for all that was around her.

“I’m glad to hear that.” A small smile found its way onto Bayarmaa’s face. “What has you happy?”

“I’m just happy to have my family here…” Nomin tiredly said. “Genuinely, I mean it. Would that I were more able to get up and show you, Kuzhuk, and Ankhbayar around the island without it being too stressful to my body.”

“Worry not,” Estinien spoke up. He had, likewise to Bayarmaa, moved up along Nomin’s arm to help apply and rub in more of her scale oil. “We shall have more than enough time to take care of such things at a later time. What matters most is making sure you and the girls are taken care of before any sightseeing or touring can even be considered.”

“Agreed. I’m here not just as your sister, but to also help you with everything that comes after giving birth,” Bayarmaa reassured Nomin. “Family is family, Nomin. And we’re here for you in this new chapter of your life, not to have a vacation nor venture into the area.”

The smile on Nomin’s face grew for a moment before her gaze settled on the ceiling. It faltered for a moment before she finally asked: “... do you think Esenaij would have been happy for us? From what I can remember…he would have been a shite uncle.”

Bayarmaa paused, taken aback by Nomin’s words. Her hands shook after a moment as she attempted to rein in her laughter. Though it seemed that Nomin shared in the amusement, because for as straight faced as she made her statement, it was a jest all the same.

“He would have been a shite uncle,” Bayarmaa concurred, a laugh falling from her lips.

#ffxiv #ffxiv writing #ffxiv oc #oc: nomin tal kheeriin #estinien varlineau #oc: bayarmaa sagahl #oc: kuzhuk oroq #oc: ankhbayar oroq #oc: esenaij sagahl #wolstinien #cinnamon ship #my writing #postpartum #don't be fooled by me focusing on children or childbirth #i know nothing #because unlike Nomin -- I have no intention of becoming child bearer or birther #so i'll admit to being mildly ignorant and that most of what i know comes from other mother stories instead of experience