White Pearl

"What do you want?" he asked her curiously, "How can I help," he murmured as he grabbed her hands in his own.

---

She nodded a little then laid down closing her eyes and pulling the blanket up.

She shrugged, slightly taken aback at his reaction. "Help? I don't know that there's anything to be done." She said in confusion. "It's just my thoughts." She explained to him.

He nodded a little, "I know, I just want you to know I'm not like those high born men... I've only done it twice, and it was mostly because the option was there," he said to her softly as he looked at her then cupped her face. "We're going to be married, it seems only right that I do whatever I can to have you trust me,"

She looked at him and smiled weakly. "I suppose just continue to do what you are doing. I know you are different... If not, I would have given you a much harder time." She said, lifting her hand to hold his hand. "They are just my thoughts, and they make no difference."

He nodded a little as he squeezed her hand, "Come on, lets cook something for the new family they're going to be quite tired the next few days,"

She nodded and stood, following him into the kitchen. "I can make a stew, it should be good for a few days." She murmured, going to pull ingredients out. "I'll need to finish measuring you as well, once I'm finished with this."

Marissa woke up a couple hours later when she heard their daughter crying she winced then slowly moved into a sitting position, she picked her up and climbed out of the bed - she'd been wrapped in a cloth diaper due to the bleeding but she needed to stretch her legs. Marissa didn't want the baby to wake him up since he'd been awake for so long already, she walked down stairs sitting in front of the fire as she nursed her singing softly.

Jazmin woke with a start, looking around. She had had the most vivid nightmare that it almost shocked her to wake up in bed, with Jongin behind her no less. She had forgotten she had asked him to stay the night but she was too awake to fall back asleep easily.

---

Yixing wandered into the room, sitting on the bench beside her. His eyes were closed, and he rubbed them sleepily. "Was she hungry?" He asked softly, handing her a mug of warm tea and yawning.

She nodded a little as she let the infant nurse, "Didn't mean for her to wake you," she said to him softly as she lifted her hand to take the tea sipping a little, then smiled at him.

He shrugged, yawning sleepily and sighing. "It's okay. It's something I need to get used to." He murmured, laying his head on the table.

She smiled a little as she nursed her quietly then sipped the tea before setting it down on the table. She reached over stroking Yixing's hair, "Go back to bed, I've got her for now," she said to him lightly not wanting him to be too tired for the market the next day.

He nodded and stood, kissing her on the head, and then their daughter before shuffling back to bed, yawning loudly. "Hurry back to sleep. Both of you."

"Of course," she said gently as she crooned to their daughter singing to her softly as she swayed back and forth.

Jazmin sat in the market by the furniture that Jongin had helped her load into the wagon to sell. She had been looking into getting a storefront to sell, it would make it much easier instead of lugging pieces back and forth to the market. Though she hardly did any of the lifting. Jongin did all of it and never complained, but she still felt bad about it. She stood to get out an extra pillow when she saw a familiar face, but didn't have the time to react to it.

"Lady Jazmin? Is that you?" A voice asked in disbelief, before coming closer to look at her.

Jazmin stopped dead in her tracks, Marissa was just around the corner, and she wasn't sure if she should run or hide. Jongin had stepped away, and she was alone at the stand.

boop