In Which Viridis Suggests a Sure Detail

October 2, 1189

"Feeling better, Mama?"

Viridis skidded to a halt to avoid a collision. Her poor mother was having a rough enough morning, what with all the trips to the privy.

Though, this wasn't the first morning where that was the case. "You're not dying, are you?"

"Dying?" Her mother laughed, though she still looked a little green around the cheeks. "Of course not, sweetie. I'm fine."

"Then why do you keep getting sick?"

"Because--" Her mother swallowed. For her sake, Viridis hoped she'd cleared out all the vomit before then. "--I'm going to have a baby."

"Oh." Babies made women sick? She supposed that made sense. Living with another person inside you couldn't have been easy. "When?"

"The second half of April, most likely." That was still a long way off. That explained why her mother wasn't big yet, like women were with babies on the way.

"Do you think it'll be a girl?" Her stepbrothers were nice, but she sometimes suspected they were exceptions as far as boys went.

Her mother snickered. "I couldn't guess either way at this point."

"What will it look like?"

"I couldn't guess that either."

Surprises, then. Surprises were overrated. Viridis had always found herself more excited if she had a sure detail to cling to. "Can I name it?"

Her mother blinked. Maybe she hadn't gotten around to thinking of names yet. "We'll see."

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