Changelings

As usual, it was midday of the following day before the latchkay ended. Yana and her family returned home, accompanied by Clodagh, who came armed with leftovers from the feast.

To her surprise, Yana found she was ravenous again. After she fed the twins-Murel and Ronan-she sat down at the table with Sean and Clodagh, knowing that if she stretched out on the chaise longue she would drown in her soup.

Clodagh served the rolls and soup. She looked exhilarated, as she always did after latchkays, even though Yana thought they must be somewhat draining for her too.

"Your message light is still on," Yana observed idly, nodding to the red light above the door to the office cube.

"It can wait," Sean said gruffly, and almost savagely took a bite from his roll, an expression of extreme delight on his face as he chewed. "Featherlight, Clodagh."

"I can't take credit for those. That Aoifa has a real light hand with bread."

"Indeed. More, please?" And Yana used the last of her third roll to sop up what little gravy remained on her plate before handing it to whomever would take it.

"Drink that blurry too, Yana. Makes good milk," Clodagh said as she rose to refill her plate and Yana's. The blurry was a special sort of Petaybean beer. One could not drink enough of it to get drunk, but did get pleasantly-well, blurred.

Obediently, Yana took a sip of the dark brew. Actually, it was not her favorite beverage by any means, but she knew of its benefits to a nursing mother, having been told so ad nauseam by every person who had noticed her protruding abdomen in the last nine months.

On the other hand, if she drank enough of the stuff, she might forget which twin she had last breast-fed, though actually she was getting the hang of the rotation bit. Excusing herself from the table, she sought out the chaise and leaned gratefully against its back. Large as it was, it still was the perfect couch for her… and even fit her tall body, with room for Sean.

They finished the meal companionably, with Clodagh reciting a list for Sean to write down of the people who had sent messages and congratulations to the new parents from other parts of Petaybee, and another list of the gifts and givers.

"One thing's sure," she finished up, rising to her feet and collecting plates, "they won't lack warm blankets and fur rugs! Nor babysitters. Your nieces have offered their services as their baby gifts. Aoifa said she'd had a lot of experience with babies and kids in Vale of Tears."

Clodagh gave one of her disapproving sniffs for the trials and tribulations of the poor Aoifa, who had been rescued from a most barbaric enclave and the untender mercies of its leader, Shepherd Howling.

Yana scrunched her shoulders into a more comfortable position and sighed with repletion.

"That was splendid, Clodagh."

"Indeed. A fitting end to a very fine naming latchkay, in spite of that little show of independence from the guests of honor."

"I suppose it's just something we'll have to get used to,"Yana said. She closed her eyes and saw imprinted on the insides of her lids the incredible patterns the planet had created in the walls of the cave when the twins were recovered and the communion ended. "Even Petaybee seemed proud of them, though." A yawn overtook her and she stretched, jerking her knees up as abused muscles in her abdomen resisted.