Johanna watched over Basil as he slowly began constructing their new home. She would have liked to help him, but she knew that to keep up the act of being pregnant, she shouldn't do any manual labour. The only thing she could do was cook more meat for Basil and clean up the camp a bit. But since her original goal was to apologise to him, she still felt bad that he even had to build her a house.
With only simple tools at his disposal—a sturdy axe, a weathered saw, and his own two hands—he embarked on the task.
Day after day, he awoke with the dawn, his determination to apologise unbreakable. The first step he had to complete was to clear out the plants and roots of trees so that he could even start building. With sweat upon his brow, he dug deep into the earth, creating a solid base upon which their home would stand.
Next, he had to gather materials from the surrounding forest—strong oak beams for support, planks for walls, which he had to craft himself, and thatch for the roof. With practiced precision, he cut and shaped each piece, fitting them together like a puzzle, a testament to his skill and craftsmanship. Johanna was curious as to why he was so skilled at craftsmanship, to which he answered that he was the builder and architect in his old settlement. As the structure took form, Johanna watched from the sidelines, her heart still heavy with gratitude and guilt.
As days turned into weeks, their home finally stood proud in the middle of the forest, a simple yet sturdy home in which they could spend much time. Once the home was finally done, they both let out a sigh of relief since Johanna wasn't sure how long it would take for the baby to be delivered. What fascinated her even more was the fact that it even took longer than a week, since her pregnancies had never taken this long. But just as she was about to take the tour through the house, she could feel that the child was on its way. She had to lay down on the bed that Basil built for exactly this moment. He waited in anticipation and tried to assist her to the best of his abilities. Johanna had to endure once again unbearable pain, but she knew that once it was finally over, she had born a child, and that was the best feeling, even better than the best sex.
After giving birth, Johanna was too exhausted to look around the house and decided that it would be best if she did that after she slept and recovered. Basil wanted to show off his best work, but he fully understood that she was in no situation to do so.
Having rested and slept for multiple hours, Johanna was finally recovered enough to stand up and shift her body into a state before she gave birth, and now that she had recovered, she could finally take a look at the house, of course with the baby in her hands.
She was impressed since, even though she watched the whole building process, she was still surprised by the house's size. It even had a little courtyard with a beautiful tree in it. If she didn't have the goblin cave and her task, she would seriously be thinking about staying and living in this house, but she knew that this house could only be a temporary stay for her until she had to return to the real problems and worries of life.
Basil could spot the smile on Johanna's face, which made him happy since all the work he had done was for her to enjoy this house, and maybe she could then forgive him for what he had done. He still hoped that Johanna's words about rebuilding his village were true since, if he had to be honest with himself, he started to hope that Johanna would agree to help him rebuild it, and since she wanted him to stay here, she wouldn't have a problem helping him out.
The two of them continued walking through the house, Johanna inspecting it carefully, and once they got to the main part of the house, or Johanna's bedroom, she was surprised by the bed. It was shaped like a big heat. Johanna turned around to look at Basil, who just shyly looked away.
"Is this a proposal, or what was the idea behind it?"
"Well, no, but kind of yes. Do you remember that a few weeks ago you told me about rebuilding my village, and since the idea came from you, I thought that you might be willing to help me?"
"I already offered you to stay here with me for the rest of my life; I will take this as confirmation."
Johanna could see Basil's face light up from happiness and excitement; one other thing she could spot was a bulge forming in his pants. Once Basil noticed where Johanna was looking, he blushed, or at least would have blushed if he had a human face.
"I just said yes, and now you want to expand the family again?"
"No, no, I was just getting excited. I know you just gave birth, and you have to take care of the child and all."
"What a hopeless man you are. How about I calm this thing down for now?"