The result of that evening wasn't seen until close to two months later at breakfast.
When Kyrie awoke that morning, she was face to face with a sleeping Isaac and she couldn't help gently stroking the side of his face. She always got up a little bit earlier than him since the hours for the female slaves started earlier than those of the male slaves. It didn't even occur to Kyrie to think of it as unfair or unjust, it simply was. Kyrie, Vivian, and Dessi were more governed by the movements of the inhabitants of the house and that meant that if they wanted breakfast themselves they needed to be up earlier than the house's inhabitants. Mae was a woman that was fairly early to rise, usually waking up around 7 or 8 and as a result her daughter was developing similar habits. It was rare for the lady to leave the house really early in the morning though so Isaac didn't have to worry about having the horses all prepped for an outing until around 9 or 10, and Renard's job included no real contact with the lady so he could get up whenever he pleased, though Kyrie was pretty sure he usually got up when Isaac did which was around the same time the lady woke.
She knew that she had to get up and start moving out of the room lest she miss her chance for breakfast, but she couldn't help lingering. Isaac wasn't staying overnight at the castle anymore so Kyrie had him every evening and she loved it. Lady Dandridge did still visit the castle, usually with her daughter as well, but she rarely stayed for longer than an afternoon. Kyrie and Isaac were able to spend more of their free time together and now that they were Kyrie was picking up on a key difference with their interactions now: it was as if Isaac somehow held her closer, or that he was savoring every inch of her all the more... There wasn't any real clear thing that Kyrie could point to as to why the time she spent with him felt different, but what she did know was that she adored it and he seemed equally happy with the time he spent with her.
Plus, after all this time had passed, Isaac's smile came easier around her again: it wasn't really laced with the pain that she'd seen in it at the beginning of all this. Once again she was struck by just how lucky she was that she hadn't lost him and she clenched her eyes shut to keep from crying before leaning in to softly nuzzle his face. Taking a deep breath and lingering against the warmth that was Isaac, she wasn't trying to wake him, and yet he stirred beside her anyway.
He let out a soft sound before one of his arms sluggishly pulled her in closer. It was clear that if he was conscious it was only just enough to know that she was there: the hold he had on her was loose and his eyes remained closed as he nestled his face right up against hers.
Her heart swelled with both love and emotion and it was a few minutes more before she was reluctantly slipping out from under Isaac's arm to get dressed. Opening the curtains just a little bit, she peered out at the slowly lightening sky; there were only a few clouds out there from what she could see and a smile rose to her face when she saw that the day was shaping up to be rather lovely. When she turned away from the window, she left the curtain open a bit to help Isaac out when it came time for him to get up, and she couldn't help wandering over to him again to admire his form in the creeping light of the morning.
Leaning down to give him a soft kiss, he made another sound that made Kyrie just want to crawl back into bed and press her body against him. Instead of doing that though, she bit her lip as if that would help her resist the urge to be so slothful. Well... Slothful and she was a little embarrassed to admit slightly lustful as well. Turning away from him with a bright blush on her cheeks, she wondered at her own promiscuity as she promptly removed herself from the temptation. As much as she wanted to, she really did have to start her day.
By the time she made it downstairs, the blush on her cheeks had abated, and a good thing too since both Dessi and Vivian were already there. It was a little unusual though... Generally all three of them would help out with whatever breakfast was being made, but while Dessi worked in the kitchen, Vivian had her head down on the table. Kyrie tentatively greeted the two of them by wishing them a good morning and Vivian gave a grunt of acknowledgment while Dessi turned to give Kyrie a bright smile.
"Morning, Kyrie. I think I've got breakfast pretty well handled this time, why don't you sit with Vivian: she's not feeling too great."
There was almost a thoughtful look on Dessi's face as she said this, but if Kyrie caught it she didn't really say anything about it. Instead, she was much more preoccupied by the news that Vivian wasn't feeling very well. Sitting down next to her friend, she placed a hand on Vivian's back and gently rubbed, making it clear that she was there to help however she could.
"Are you sick...? What's wrong?"
Vivian was hesitant to speak for a moment, but soon she pushed herself up from the table to sit up and Kyrie could see now that she really didn't look good at all. She was pale and her eyes drooped in a way that made it clear that she was exhausted. Her movements were sluggish as well, and all of this just made Kyrie's brow furrow all the more with concern.
"I just... Feel so tired and like I need to throw up. I think..."
Here Vivian trailed off, not quite finishing her sentence. Her voice had been soft enough that really only Kyrie could hear her, and with Vivian's last words it was almost as if there was a bit of fear or nervousness in her demeanor. Kyrie wasn't quite sure what to make of this and so she prodded Vivian a little.
"You think?"
A shaky sigh was all the response Kyrie really got from her friend, and Vivian was soon flopping back down into her arms on the table.
"I don't know. I don't know what I think."
But that was a lie, she had a pretty good idea why she was feeling under the weather. Vivian had stopped taking her draught about two months ago now and she was positive that this was the beginnings of a baby. She... She really was excited to have a child, but at the same time she worried: what if the early years of her own child were as dark as the early years spent with Raine? And Mae had made the whole process of pregnancy seem so easy, so simple, but if what she was feeling now was a symptom of pregnancy then she really wasn't looking forward to this at all. Especially when she remembered actually being there for Raine's birth... This was going to be a real ordeal once she came to term. If what she was feeling now was indeed a sign of pregnancy and not just feeling under the weather then there really would be no going back; things would be set in stone at that point and Vivian was a little ashamed to admit that she was scared.
Kyrie didn't try to press Vivian since her condition was clearly bringing her down and instead she just gave Vivian a soft hug, one that comforted Vivian immensely. As Vivian leaned into her friend's embrace, Kyrie spoke up again.
"Well you just take it easy today, alright? Leave the more strenuous things to me unless you feel up to doing them, but don't be afraid to stop them midway through if you find that it's just making you feel awful."
It really was worrisome just how docile and quiet Vivian was as she nodded, and the worry that Kyrie felt only increased when her friend shifted to lean more heavily against Kyrie, effectively using her as a brace. Was Vivian going to be alright? Had Dessi already examined her before getting started on breakfast? She was kind of the unofficial medic of the house, but really, what was there to deduce from such vague symptoms as being tired and feeling nauseous? That could be anything from seriously ill to just the monthly bleeding that they all experienced! Even Kyrie knew that in order to get a more complete diagnosis more time would have to pass in order to see what symptoms of Vivian's persisted, but the time would go by so much more slowly in her worry! Kyrie didn't want to sit and wait, she wanted to know what was wrong with her friend right now and a pout made its way to her features as she thought about this.
Before she could really turn to ask Dessi about it, she saw that the older woman was bringing over plates for the two of them. It was a rather modest breakfast, all things considered, some eggs and fruit for them and some kind of pastry that was easy to take outside for the men. When the plates were set in front of them and the smell really hit Vivian though, her stomach gave a lurch which caused her to scramble away from Kyrie. Barely making it to the nearest receptacle (which was one of the buckets they usually used to get water), she bent over it as her body forced out whatever was left in her stomach from last night.
Coughing a little before trying to spit out the leftover bile in her mouth, she leaned away from the bucket so that the smell of that wouldn't cause her to go again. Vivian let out a soft groan and Kyrie, after recovering from the initial shock of such a sudden action, immediately got up from her chair to go and help. Taking away the dirty bucket (though making sure a clean one was within reach), she went and put that over by the door before gently rubbing Vivian's back again. Sending a meaningful glance over at Dessi, Kyrie was surprised to see that the older woman didn't seem to be so concerned, in fact she looked rather satisfied as if she'd just figured something out.
"Vivian... You haven't been taking your draught, have you?"
Vivian's blood felt like it turned to ice from this statement. If Dessi was recognizing the signs without Vivian really saying anything about it then there was no way that this was anything but a baby. A wave of both excitement and fear ran through her at that, but she really couldn't tell if the excitement was the bigger emotion or the fear. She wanted it to be the excitement, she wanted that so badly, and yet she couldn't deny the more negative emotion that loomed like a dark cloud.
"I... I haven't..."
Her voice was soft as she said this, and while Kyrie's face turned to even more surprise at just what this meant, Dessi's face broke into a broad smile. It wasn't long before Dessi was joining them on the floor to wrap Vivian in a big bear hug.
"Oh Vivian, I'm so happy for you! Congratulations! I have no doubt that you'll be a wonderful mother!"
Kyrie was a little bit slower to react, but not because she was any less happy for her friend. The thought of children had always seemed so far away when the topic had come up between her and Isaac; it would seem that Vivian and Renard had beaten them to it! After the initial shock of it wore off, she happily joined in on the hug.
"You're pregnant?! I never would've guessed... You never mentioned anything to me! Vivian congratulations! I can't believe this is happening... I'm so excited for you!"
The warmth from the two women on either side of her eased her fear a little, and Vivian let herself be enveloped by this good feeling as she closed her eyes, gently letting her arms wrap a little around both Kyrie and Dessi.
"Thank you... Thank you both. I'm sorry if my response seems a little unenthusiastic I just... I don't really know what to say..."
"Oh you don't have to say anything, just know that Kyrie and I will be here for you every step of the way. I've done plenty of reading on the subject for Lady Dandridge so let me know if you have any questions and we'll help you out with the workload if you're ever feeling under the weather. Let me just clear out what I brought you for breakfast and find you something that you should find more palatable, and drink plenty of water! You don't want that taste to continue being in your mouth."
Vivian felt like she was going to cry from the sheer amount of love and care that she felt from both Dessi and Kyrie, and she blinked back her tears as she nodded.
"I really appreciate it, Dessi."
As Dessi moved away to bustle about the kitchen once more, Kyrie could see Vivian's shoulders droop and Kyrie was reminded of a conversation the two of them had ages ago. One where Vivian had brought up children in a way that made it sound like she wanted her own, but at the same time being really hesitant towards it. Clearly the reservations had been silenced to a certain degree, but that fear that she'd glimpsed and the way her friend's shoulders drooped now... they were still lingering.
"Are you alright?"
Kyrie's voice was soft as she turned her concern towards her friend, and the tears that Vivian was trying to hold back just slipped out now. A bit embarrassed to be crying in light of such happy news, she covered up her face with her hands.
"I don't know... I don't know, Kyrie. I want to have a baby with Renard, I really do, but I'm still just..."
Her throat seized up to prevent her from finishing that statement, and Kyrie moved in front of her friend now to pull her into a full hug. Vivian clung tightly to Kyrie, as if she was a life-line and Kyrie did her best to help comfort her friend.
"You're scared...?"
Vivian made a bit of a choked sound before just nodding: she knew that Kyrie understood the full complexity of that feeling. It wasn't just a fear of the physical aspects of a pregnancy and giving birth, it was the fear that she would somehow resent it or hate it once her child was born. Kyrie had been there just as well as Vivian had, and Vivian had seen the pictures that Kyrie had drawn of Raine's former years... Her friend knew exactly how dark of a time Raine's early years had been for Vivian. Still, Kyrie was a force of optimism, and she was eager to try and help.
"It's ok to be scared, Vivian, but this time you don't have to bottle up your feelings! You know you can talk to me about anything, and you've grown so much from your years of taking care of Raine... Your own child will be so easy in comparison to that! Every time you feel worried or scared or overwhelmed though, then please come to me: I'll share your burden and help to lessen those feelings. I suppose you can also go to Dessi or maybe even Renard if you'd rather not come to me or I'm not available, but the important thing to get from this is that you're not alone and all of us want to see you happy. So when your time to give birth finally comes both Dessi and I will be right there with you."
It was amazing how easily a hug and some words could help to ease Vivian's mind.
Was it really this easy to quiet the worries of her brain? They were still lurking there, sure, but the fact that she knew Kyrie would practically bend over backwards to help her sent a warmth through her that helped keep the darkness at bay. If only she had tried sharing earlier... If she had... Well... Then her early years with Raine might've been very different.
Squeezing her friend rather tightly, Vivian could feel her tears slowing down, and while at first they had been a mixture of sad and happy, now they were just happy.
"I'm so blessed to have you Kyrie... I don't... I really don't deserve your friendship..."
Kyrie's eyes widened to hear this said from Vivian, and she pulled away from Vivian a little bit so that she could look her friend in the eye.
"If anything I should be saying that of you! You are a wonderful person, Vivian, and I'm truly glad to have met you."
Kyrie had to admit that she was also blinking back tears to have Vivian claim to be blessed to have met her. Even after everything that Kyrie had done to her, Vivian still loved her, and Kyrie really was struck by just how happy she was to have both her lover and her best friend still with her.
She didn't know what she did to deserve this, but she was thankful that she got it.
Vivian smiled at Kyrie, her own face once again scrunching up with emotion from Kyrie's words as she leaned in for another hug.
By the time Kyrie helped to dry Vivian's tears (and kept her own tears at bay in the process), Dessi had returned with something for Vivian. They were all smiles now as Kyrie and Vivian sat back down at the table and Vivian couldn't help but think that this was easily the best house she had ever lived in.