Finally

Writers: Dana, Eimi
Date Posted: 15th November 2008

Characters: Cinale, Daigoro
Description: Cinale has some news to tell Daigoro that just can't wait
Location: Vintner Hall
Date: month 12, day 12 of Turn 4

Cinale

Cinale couldn't wait any longer. She had suspected for quite some time,
and today it had been confirmed. It was safe now to tell him. Hearing
the crunch of gravel outside, she looked up from her book, listening as
those familiar steps clomped up the steps. Shards and shells, she'd
been waiting all day to hear those bootsteps on the front porch. Her
blue eyes were bright, her round cheeks flushed and a wide smile curved
her lips as stood, watching as Daigoro walked in through the door.

"Good evening, my beauty," he said as he closed the door behind him.
Her husband cringed at the grating squeek the hinges made. "I really do
need to find some oil for that."

She waved a hand dismissively, her breath coming awfully quick.
**Shards, forget the oil...** "How was your day, hon?"

"Oh it was fine," he replied, stamping his boots on the small rug to get
the last of the dirt off of them. He hated leaving bootprints on the
floors his wife cleaned so meticulously.

**Shards, forget the dirt...** It was all she could do to keep herself
from blurting the wonderful news out. "Did the meeting go well?"

"Oh yes, very well. I think we can expect the new brewery to start
making a profit within a few turns. They really have a good plan in
place, and with their proximity to the river it will be easy to ship it
by boat." He shrugged out of his jacket and hung it on the peg.

"Absolutely," she agreed, wringing her hands as she came towards him.
Shells, how could she tell him? She'd been so excited she hadn't really
thought it through. She realized now that she probably should have made
a huge feast of a dinner to celebrate. How did most wives do this? She
should have consulted her girls....

"And since they grow the hops right there, the beer should be
exceptional. Right from the vine to the vat, as we say." And they
would have a direct influence over the way their own hops were grown and
cross-bred, which could prove to be quite convenient.

"Of course." Shells, couldn't he just stop for one minute and ask her
how her day was? Then she could lead straight into it.

He leaned down to kiss her forehead softly before walking over to his
favorite chair in front of the fire and flopping back in it. "I've been
thinking that it might be worth asking a smith if the sand along the
river would be any good for making bottles. Wouldn't it be wonderful if
we could make the bottles and the beer in the same place? It would
certainly save on the shipping costs."

Cinale followed him, hardly listening to the words he was saying as she
tried to think of a way to tell him before she completely lost her mind.
"Shipping costs?"

"Yes, for bringing in the bottles. We need to have them delivered to us
from outside the territory. The expense is added onto the price of each
bottle we sell, so we don't lose any money. But at Amethyst Cliff we
weren't pinching marks. Now any possible way we can save we should look
into. The price of the bottle wouldn't have to change, so therefore the
savings would go directly into our own coffers." And Faranth knew those
coffers were looking mighty low at the moment. "We're saving a little
on the cost of shipping hops since before we had to transport it from
Amber Hills to the Hall, though that wasn't very far. The savings
aren't much but every little bit helps."

Scorch this. "Daigoro...."

Her voice was low, so he didn't catch it over the crackling of the fire.
"Barrels we can make here, of course, but if we could have our own
glassmith shop..."

Cinale came closer until she was standing at the arm of his chair, now
both amused and exasperated. "Daigoro."

"Hmmm?" he asked, looked up at his wife innocently.

She gazed down at him, a rather wistful expression on her face as she
wondered whether or not their child would have his eyes. "I'm
pregnant."

Daigoro's mind melted into a mushy puddle as he looked up at her, his
jaw slack as the words sank in. Finally he was able to form a question.
"Now?"

She grinned at him. "Yes, now. And I was yesterday too. And will be
tomorrow."

He rose to his feet, reaching out to wrap his fingers around her waist
as he looked her in the eye. Was she serious? After all these months
trying it had finally happened? "Do you know for sure yet?"

"I saw the healer today. I...wanted to be sure before I told you," she
said softly.

He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her into him. "Oh love,
that's wonderful news." They had watched so many couple married less
time than they had start families. At least it was their turn! "But I
would have gone with you if you had told me."

"I know you would've," she smiled, leaning against him. "But I had to
be sure. If it turned out that I wasn't...shards, Daigoro, I didn't
want you to go through the disappointment." Especially since they had
tried
so hard for so long. Why make him suffer through the bitterness when he
didn't have to?

"I'm a big man, love, I can handle it. Next time, I'd like to be there
with you." Because there would be a next time. He was sure of that.

Cinale tilted her head back to meet his eyes. "I'll remember that."

Daigoro bent down so that his head was level with her stomach. "Hello
in there," he said, tapping her belly lightly with a thick finger. "I'm
your father. I just wanted to tell you that you don't have anything to
worry about. I'm going to take care of you and your mother, and you're
going to be the happiest and most loved baby on the face of Pern. I
promise you that. So you just grow big and strong for me, all right?"

Grinning in amusement, she curled her fingers into his silvering hair.
"We should start thinking of names tonight."

"Hmmm... Names..." This was going to take come careful thought, Daigoro
decided as he pulled himself back up to his full height and guided his
wife over to the sofa. "Do you have any picked out?"

"Not yet." She smiled at him. "I wanted to wait for you."

"Well... Do you think it's a boy or a girl?" Daigoro honestly didn't
care as long as it had ten fingers and toes. Though a boy might be nice
to have following him around his brewery... He could teach him all the
manly things... But daughters were so sweet. How nice would it be to
come home to two beautiful women to pamper and shower with love...
Yeah, it didn't really matter.

"I honestly don't know yet. But either way.... Faranth, I'm so happy."

He smiled down at her, wrapping an arm around her and pulling her into
his side. "You are going to be the most beautiful mother on Pern, my
love."

Last updated on the November 16th 2008

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