Say No To This

@ sun spirit

Aerith smiled as he kissed her palm, her fingers gently brushing over his lips and jaw before she watched him stand and move around the table to her. She turned toward him, leaning her head into his hand, closing her eyes contently as he brushed away her tears and kissed her, her smile widening at his words before returning his kiss, her hands moving to rest one on his cheek and the other on his chest, right above his heart. "And I'm all yours. Forever and always, Nyrel." She whispered softly, resting her forehead lightly against his once their kiss broke, giggling a little as their noses brushed against each others. It was clear that she was so completely in love with him, and after being away from him for so long, she never wanted to leave his side again. "When did you realize that you loved me?" She asked softly after a while, brushing her fingers gently through his hair.

---

Elwin smiled across the table at her when she reached to take his hand, giving it a squeeze before lifting it to his lips to press a gentle kiss to her knuckles. He knew that her long hours in the infirmary were her doing, as Taliesin had practically begged him at one point to order her to shorten her hours, but he wasn't about to order his soon-to-be wife around, not when she was doing what she loved. Although, he was sure the conversation would come up at some point, especially if children ever came into the picture. He chuckled a little at her question, humming a little in thought as he looked at her, imagining them both as children again. "I'd probably beg my parents to bring us to the country.. It was always so much more peaceful there than here in the city, and it was harder for Aerith to cause trouble.." He laughed a little at the memory, giving her hand a squeeze. "Do you remember when Aerith was young, maybe only seven or eight, and you and your brother came to visit us, and she somehow managed to get worms into his mattress, and filled his shoes with mud?" Laughing at the thought, he shook his head. "It's amazing that after something like that, they're now getting married."

@ katahdin

The fact that they could even sit together like this still felt like a miracle to Nyrel. Even though the day seemed so long, it was still just less than a day since he’d seen her after a year, since he’d confessed his love and proposed and somehow gotten permission to stay at the castle. Everything felt so happy and surreal at that moment that he was almost afraid it would all disappear the moment they broke from their embrace. “I’ll take you up on forever if you mean it,” he answered with a smile, leaning in to kiss her again, then letting his forehead rest against hers, the moment just too peaceful to break. Some part of him even understood why she giggled at that moment, as surreal as everything seemed.

Even so, he didn’t quite expect the question. He blinked for a moment, not because he didn’t know the answer but because of the suddenness of her desire to know. There was only that small hesitation before he answered though. “I knew I liked you when we started talking in the infirmary after the first time you were gouged by a boar,” he ventured with a smile. “I knew I liked you more than I should when you had a ballroom full of elves running for their lives by setting off firecrackers. I knew I loved you...” He paused here as he stroked her cheek, his jaw working as the memories of that day returned to him. “I knew I loved you the day we went on that hunt and that bastard almost got you killed. I could only think about how you couldn’t die and how much I wanted to hurt him when it happened. And then, before you ever recovered, before I could say or do anything, because I was so worked up about you, when I went to Ceren to get you pain medication and she accused me of using you, I just... I snapped and accidentally hurt her. And then I was arrested and exiled.” The last sentences, as he talked about the events leading to his exile, were spoken quietly.

---

Ceren waited patiently for his answer, smiling once she had it. As much fun as they had at the castle, some of her best memories had been when they’d been in the country. There was always less structure then, more free time to run around. Nyrel never really joined in the fun and she’d been lucky to keep up, being younger and smaller, but it was as if Elwin had taken it upon himself to look out for her, because he’d been the one who lingered if Aerith ran off without her and helped her up if she tripped. If it weren’t for him, she might not have been able to keep up and be friends with Aerith. She found herself smiling along with him and nodding her consensus at his answer. “I’d probably do the same. And I think I’d ask my parents if they could find a Healer to tutor me when my powers showed, instead of going away.” She squeezed his hand, laughing as he mentioned Aerith’s pranks on Nyrel and shaking her head. “She was awful to him, and he’d never give her the time of day,” she said. “He was always too old and sophisticated to play with us, and he hated me for being the reason he got dragged along on those trips. He’d complain and my dad would just tell him he should make more of an effort to be your friends too.” Ceren smiled. “We’ve all come a long way since then. I never thought Nyrel and Aerith would marry, and I never thought we would either. I used to just always imagine myself as this healer who traveled all over the kingdom and helped everyone who needed it, and I wouldn’t ask anyone to pay me because my family was rich and I didn’t need the money. And sometimes I’d come home and visit my family and you and Aerith because I missed you. I wouldn’t marry or have kids or any of that, and that’s what I thought until my parents died. I really have no idea what’s going to happen anymore.”

@ sun spirit

"Forever it is then." Aerith whispered softly against his lips, smiling at the thought. It all felt so surreal, like a dream, and she never wanted to wake up, even if it meant sitting at the table with him forever. She opened her eyes to look at him as he answered her question, her smile slowly growing as he told her the moments where he realized that he cared for her, leaning forward to press a gentle kiss to his lips between his pauses, wanting him to know how much she loved him.

Her smile faltered a little as he spoke about the events leading up to his exile, standing to move and sit in his lap, her arms wrapping around his neck as she pressed a comforting kiss to his lips. "It was an accident, you hadn't meant to hurt her, and everyone's forgiven you. And now that you're back, we'll never be apart again, I promise." She murmured, gently stroking her cheek as she smiled lovingly down at him. "I love you so much, Nyrel, and nothing is ever going to change that." She promised, pressing a kiss to his forehead.

---

Elwin smiled as he listened to her talk about their childhood, chuckling a little at some of their memories. When she mentioned that she wasn't sure what was going to be happening anymore, he lifted her hands to his lips to press gentle kisses to her fingers. "I can tell you what's going to happen. In six months, you'll become my wife, and I'll become your husband. Sometime soon, although I can't predict whether it will be tomorrow or in a year, Aerith and Nyrel will marry, and they'll both make each other incredibly happy. After we marry, at one point or another, if we find time in our crazy schedules, we'll have children, and you'll be the most wonderful mother, and I'll be a sub-par father. Maybe we'll travel around the kingdom one day, so that you can tend to people in the country." He smiled, giving her hands a gentle squeeze. "After that, I'm not sure what will happen, but I think that's the exciting part. We get to decide what our future holds, not out friends or families or the Council."

@ katahdin

Nyrel smiled at Aerith’s agreement, willingly accepting and returning her kisses during the pauses he left in between telling her how he’d come to like and eventually love her. That smile was a little strained when he got to the events leading up to his exile, but it eased into something happier when she got up and moved into his lap. He willingly accepted her there, wrapping his arms around her, partially because he wanted and partially to make sure she didn’t fall off. He smiled as she attempted to comfort him, kissing her back, and took a deep breath. “I love you too, Aerith. As much and more than all those letters said, and I’m going to be better than I was,” he vowed, not shifting his hands away from where they rested but letting his thumb stroke her waist idly. Then, in an attempt to lighten the mood somewhat, he added, “When you say we’ll never be apart though?” He cocked an eyebrow at her with a grin. “I thought I was only staying with you until my room was ready. And depending on how your war meetings are, General, I don’t know that I’m going to want to go to those with you. Then there’s the bathroom situation. That might get awkward.” He was teasing, made obvious by his devious smile.

---

As Elwin began to talk about their future, Ceren squeezed his fingers, smiling as he talked about their marriage and then Aerith and Nyrel’s marriage and even kids. She couldn’t help but roll her eyes as he described their parenting and gave himself the lesser description, but other than that, everything he described sounded amazing. “As great as most of that sounds, what makes you think you won’t be a great father, huh?” She asked. Since they seemed to be done with dinner, she scooted her chair around the table, closer to his, closing the distance the table had put between them, which left her easily able to press a kiss to his cheek. “I think I might be happier with this future than the one I imagined as a kid though. The way I see it, I got lucky. I get to marry my best friend and be a Healer. Maybe not traveling, but there’s almost an exhausting amount of people who need care in the castle alone.” She leaned in and pressed a kiss to his lips. “Did I ever thank you for stopping me when I tried to leave?”

@ sun spirit

Aerith smiled as he wrapped his arms around her, kissing him lovingly after he spoke, her fingers gently brushing along his cheeks and jaw. She giggled a little when he began to ask about whether or not they'd practically be able to spend all of their time together. "You make some fair points. You don't have to come with me to meetings, and I'll let you have your privacy in the bathroom, unless I need something, or want to talk to you." She smiled, pressing a gentle kiss to the tip of his nose. "But as far as staying here or in your room, we're going to be sharing a room soon enough, so why bother waiting? Plus you're cute as a button when you wake up." She murmured teasingly, grinning a little as she felt his thumbs stroking her waist.

---

Elwin smiled as she moved her chair around the table to sit next to him, happily wrapping his arm around her as she kissed his cheek. "I don't know anything about caring for people, while it's your job to care for everyone. I'll love our children more than anything, but I just worry that I won't be good with them." He sighed, pressing a kiss to her forehead as he squeezed her hands in his. He smiled, shaking his head a little when she asked about him preventing her from leaving, chuckling a little as he returned her kiss. "I don't think you did, but there's no need."

@ katahdin

Nyrel chuckled as she played along with him and kissed her before he said, “Thank you, O Gracious Goddess, for not making me attend your meetings and giving me some bathroom privacy.” He smiled as she kissed the tip of his nose, enjoying how comfortable they were when this sort of behavior between them was so new. “I thought you wanted to do things properly? You might want to wait until your talk with Ceren before you decide I should just go ahead and move in,” he pointed out, a note of seriousness in his voice that he let slip as she talked about how cute he was when he woke up. “And how would you know that?” His devious smile returned as he shifted, loosing one arm from around her which he then used to tickle her side.

---

Ceren leaned into Elwin, wrapping an arm around his middle as he draped his over her shoulder, and she listened to his concern. “I give people medicine, make them better. That doesn’t mean I’m good with kids, you know,” she pointed out. “Besides, the way you’ve always looked after me, you’ve got all the headstart you need. We’ll figure it out together, okay?” She looked up at him, meaning every word, and while some part of her still felt like they were too young to start having children, she wasn’t afraid of it either. “Of course there is,” she argued, when he tried to insist she didn’t need to thank him. “Think about where we’d both be right now if you hadn’t. I’d basically be running and probably would’ve lost you and Aerith as friends, and you’d still be fighting the Council about marriage, which couldn’t have been fun. So thank you, from both of us.” She smiled as she leaned up and pressed a kiss to his lips. Between their busy schedules and leaving to visit Nyrel, this time they’d spent together this afternoon was nice, and she didn’t want it to end. “Do you have any work left you need to do tonight?” She asked when they pulled away, hesitating on giving her suggestion just in case he did. She didn’t want to suggest they relax with each other the rest of the night if he was too busy.

@ sun spirit

Aerith smiled down at him, grinning widely as he called her a goddess. "I'm not a goddess, silly. I'm a princess, there's a difference. And pretty soon, you'll be a prince." She smiled, leaning down to press a kiss to his lips, although she pulled back with a little frown when he warned her about waiting until after her talk with Ceren to decide whether or not she wanted him to move in with her. "When have I ever done things properly? But I see your point, so I'll wait to decide until after I talk with Ceren later. And even if I don't change my mind, you don't have to stay in my room if you don't want to. You can stay here and I can sleep in Ceren's room." She offered seriously, although her smile returned when he began to tickle her, squirming in his arms as she giggled. "After the boar attacked me, and you refused to leave my side even while I slept, you fell asleep in your chair. I woke up in the middle of the night and woke you up, and let you sleep in my bed with me so you wouldn't be sore the next morning. You looked so peaceful when you were asleep, like you weren't worried about anything."

---

Elwin smiled, nodding as he pressed a kiss to her forehead. "Together. That sounds nice." He murmured, squeezing her a little in his arms as he returned her kiss, resting his other hand on her cheek. "Well, in that case, you're welcome. I'm glad that you stayed." he smiled, pressing another kiss to her lips before leaning back with a sigh, looking over at her when she asked about his work for that evening. "I'll always have work, Ceren, I think it's part of the job. But I don't really feel up to doing anything at the moment. Why do you ask?" He turned back toward her, giving her hands a squeeze as he pressed a kiss to her forehead. "Do you have something in mind?"

@ katahdin

Nyrel chuckled. “If I’m going to be a prince, does that mean I don’t have to take orders from you?” He joked, kissing her cheek, although he was glad to hear her agree to wait until after she’d talked to Ceren before she made any decisions. While part of him felt bad for pushing the conversation off on his sister, it was technically medically related, and he hoped she would handle it better than he could. “Thank you,” he said, kissing her forehead. “I don’t really have a problem. This just goes back to our conversation earlier about why Ceren and Elwin aren’t supposed to be left alone for too long, and I wouldn’t feel right if you didn’t know everything before you made any decisions,” he explained. He grinned as he tickled her and she laughed, holding onto her to make sure she didn’t fall out of his lap, though as she began to speak, he let up so that he could actually understand her, a smile still on his face as he listened. “Okay, point taken. I was only so peaceful because I was with you and you were okay though, you should know. The thought of you dead didn’t sit well with my nerves.”

---

Ceren smiled at him. “How could I not? I didn’t really want to go, and even if you hadn’t said you loved me, I’m pretty sure you would’ve made Nyrel’s life miserable if I had left,” she said, returning his kiss. When he admitted he had more work though, she hesitated, even though he said he didn’t feel like doing any more for the moment. He took his work seriously, just like she did, and she didn’t want to be a bad influence or sway him against doing anything. By the way he was looking at her though, she knew he had to have guessed she hadn’t asked innocently. “Well... dinner’s over, and rather than both of us going back to work, I thought it might be nice if we took a break, spent the rest of the night together, since it’s been awhile. I wasn’t going to suggest it if you still had things you needed to do tonight though,” she admitted as she tucked her hair behind her ear and watched him for his reaction.

@ sun spirit

"I suppose not.." She mused, resting her hands on his cheeks as she looked down at him, her thumbs brushing across his skin and over his lips as she studied him. "But it also means that I won't have to take orders from you." Aerith grinned, leaning down to press a faint kiss to his lips, before deepening it for a moment before she finally pulled away. "I don't really like the idea of dying either, so I'm glad that we agree to that much." She smiled, settling comfortably into his arms once he stopped tickling her. "I'll go speak with Ceren after we're done here.. Even though that means getting up." She said reluctantly, looking at him with a little frown. "Do you think things will always be like this between us? Will we always be happy?" She asked softly. She'd only seen her parents fight once, and it was after the Council had allowed them to legally adopt her. Her father had wanted to make it public, while her mother had wanted to keep the adoption secret, and in the end her mother had won.

---

Elwin chuckled a little as he listened, nodding. "Yeah, Nyrel would have suffered here if you had left. I probably would have enlisted Aerith's help, although I'm not sure how much she would have done, considering her feelings for him at the time." He said, smiling as he listened to her suggestion to just spend the night together and relax. He stood, holding his hands out to her in an offer to help her up. "That sounds lovely, Ceren. I'd be more than happy to spend the night with you. Any work I would get done wouldn't be very good, and I owe it to the Council and the people to put all my effort into it, and they certainly wouldn't get it tonight." He smiled down at her.

@ katahdin

“I would never dream of trying to order you around,” Nyrel protested with a grin, otherwise remaining still as Aerith let her hands wander lightly over his face, almost as if she were attempting to memorize the feeling, and he returned the kiss she initiated. “I thought you were going to see her tomorrow? No need to get up if you wait,” he pointed out with a smile, though it faded at her next question, which seemed to come out of the blue. “Well, I hope so,” he said, shifting a bit in his chair to meet her eyes better. “Do I think it’ll be like this all the time? Probably not. I’ve seen a lot of married couples, some happy and some not, and it seems like they all argue at some point. We’ll probably argue too, eventually, but as long as we’re willing to work it out, I think we’ll be fine,” he said, pressing a kiss to her forehead. “I’m not saying this to worry you. I’m sure we’ll be fine. We have the advantage of loving each other rather than being an arranged marriage, after all,” he said, giving her a smile.

---

“I don’t know... if you told her what you found out from me, she might’ve helped,” Ceren offered with a smile, although she honestly wasn’t sure which way it would’ve gone. She supposed it didn’t entirely matter either, since it hadn’t happened that way. Before she could say anything else, Elwin moved away, and her forming frown of confusion as she looked up at him turned into a smile as he offered his hand and said he wanted to spend the night with her. “You sure?” She asked, already in the process of standing and reaching for his hands though. Her smile widened when he confirmed though, and she asked, “What would you like to do with our night then?”

@ sun spirit

"I was, but I want to know now." Aerith protested a little, snuggling into his arms as he shifted in his chair. "I don't like feeling dumb, especially about something which is obviously an important part of marriage.. I feel like the sooner I know, the sooner I'll stop worrying about everything." She explained softly, taking one of his hands in hers so she could press a gentle kiss to his fingers, listening as he answered her question. His answer seemed reasonable, but she didn't look forward to arguing with him, whether it be tomorrow or twenty years from now. "Promise we'll always work through it? That we'll always love each other?" She asked, giving his hand another squeeze as she looked up at him. "Because I promise that I'll work things out with you, and that I'll always love you."

---

Elwin beamed as her frown of confusion turned into a smile, taking her hands as she stood and gently pulled her into his arms, leaning down to press a loving kiss to her lips. "I'm more than sure. If the Council and the people don't understand me making time for my wife, then I'll have to consider abdicating." He grinned, pressing another kiss to her lips before drawing back, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear as he considered what they should do. "I'm not sure.. Maybe go for a walk around the castle? It's too cold to be outside at this time of night, but walking through the castle is better than nothing, and we might find something more interesting to do along the way."

@ katahdin

Nyrel held Aerith a little closer as she snuggled into his arms, claiming she’d rather talk to Ceren now. “Well, I won’t stop you if that’s what you’d rather do,” he said, pressing a kiss to the top of her head. “I thought maybe you’d be okay finding out tomorrow though, since it’s so soon,” he admitted. He curled the hand she’d taken around her own and pressed a kiss to the back of it after he answered her about them being happy forever, listening as she asked him to promise to always work out their problems. “That’s an easy promise,” he answered immediately, giving her a kiss. “I never want anything to happen to our relationship, so I promise now that I will always love you and work through our problems.” He took a breath then and gave her another kiss. “If you’re going to question Ceren tonight, you better go ahead and find her so you don’t have to wake her up.”

---

Ceren giggled as Elwin pulled her into him and she returned his kiss, letting her arms wind around his neck. “Well, your wife will try to make sure she doesn’t pull you away from your work too often,” she assured him, giving him another kiss. She pulled back a bit as he suggested they go on a walk though, nodding after a moment. “A walk sounds nice. Better than sitting around in one of our rooms with the door open so a guard can keep an eye on us,” she added with a small smile. While they were largely trusted when it came to the office spaces, bedrooms were another matter. The Council was taking no chances that anything might happen before their wedding.

@ sun spirit

Aerith smiled as he held her closer, happily returning his kisses as he made his promises to her, although she nodded when he mentioned going to speak to Ceren, pressing one more lingering kiss to his lips before she reluctantly untangled herself from his arms and stood. "I suppose you're right.. But when I get back I want at least three more kisses before bedtime, got it?" She smiled mischievously at him, ruffling his hair before hurrying from the room to go find Ceren.

---

Elwin chuckled against her lips as she mentioned the guards, happily returning her kisses before he took his arm and led her out the open room and passed the guards posted by the door, nodding politely to them before turning his attention back to his bride. "Soon enough they won't be around anymore, and then we'll have all of the alone time we want." He said teasingly, leaning down to kiss her, although he was interrupted when Aerith rounded the corner and nearly ran into them, causing him to chuckle. "Good evening, Aerith. What are you up to?" He asked, quickly taking in her appearance to make sure she had no critters or weapons on her, worried about what she might be intending to do.

"Oh, hello, Elwin, Ceren. I was wondering if I could talk to Ceren about something... Alone." Aerith said rather sheepishly, glancing between the two before her eyes settled on Ceren, practically begging her to say yes.

Elwin gave Aerith an odd look, but nodded, pressing a kiss to Ceren's forehead before pulling his arm away from her. "I'll be in my room when you're finished. Take your time, and have a good evening, Aerith." He smiled at both of them before heading back into his room, shutting the door behind him to give them the privacy that Aerith wanted.

"Um..." Aerith started, looking around the empty hallway nervously before her eyes settled on Ceren. "Nyrel and I are going to get married, but I don't know what sex is or what it entails, and I don't understand why two people can't be alone together or sleep in the same room before they're married, even if they love each other a lot. And Nyrel said that I should talk to you because you'd be able to explain everything to me, and then I'd know everything that I need to and then won't have to worry about it." She spoke quickly and quietly, biting her lip when she finished, looking at her friend with slightly widened eyes as she waited for her response.

@ katahdin

Ceren laughed and kissed him back. “I know. They’ll be making excuses to give us alone time,” she said, right as Aerith rounded the corner and they nearly ran into her. “Hey Aer,” she said, finding herself looking for Nyrel and surprised to find that he wasn’t there. Considering what had happened, she expected them to be together, enjoying being together.

“Oh, o-of course,” she responded, surprised at being asked to talk alone. She looked up to Elwin apologetically, smiling when he simply kissed her forehead and told her where to find him. “Okay, but if I’m gone too long, just go ahead and go to bed, okay?” She pressed up on her toes to kiss his cheek, and once he’d left, she turned back to Aerith with a curious, somewhat concerned look. “What did you want to talk about?” She asked, not sure if this was going to be because she was a Healer or Nyrel’s sister or a friend.

Within Aerith’s first sentence though, Ceren understood, and her eyes widened a bit. Aerith really didn’t know any of this? “Okay...” Well, this wasn’t a conversation she’d ever had to have with someone. “I guess I can do that. Maybe we should talk in my office? That way we know we’re really alone.” Maybe the walk would also give her a chance to try and think of where to even start on this.

@ sun spirit

Aerith couldn't meet her friend's eyes, feeling incredibly foolish for asking, but she nodded when Ceren asked if she wanted to go to her office. "Yes please, thank you, Cer.." she murmured softly, linking her arm with her friend's before following her to the infirmary and Ceren's office, both grateful for the little walk, as it gave her a chance to collect her thoughts and questions, and prepare for whatever Ceren might say, but it also allowed her to become more and more mortified over the fact that she was a grown woman engaged to the love of her life, who had somehow missed 'the talk' when she was younger.

Once safely in Cerens office she plopped herself down into the chair that Elwin usually sat in when he did work in here, looking up at Ceren nervously as she waited for the younger elf to speak. "Am I dumb, Ceren? What if Nyrel realizes I'm dumb, and he doesnt want to marry me anymore?" She frowned, sinking lower in her chair as she ran her hands over her face with a frustrated groan.

@ katahdin

The walk to her office was a little awkward, since they were both quiet, stuck in their own thoughts, trying to prepare for the conversation, but Ceren didn’t expect Aerith’s first question as she closed the door behind them. “You aren’t dumb, Aerith!” She denied immediately as she sat down in her own chair and reached out to take her friend’s hand. “This isn’t something you just... know. It’s something people tell you about. But no one told you, apparently, and that isn’t your fault. And why would you not knowing this make a difference to Nyrel? I bet this seems small compared to him being convinced you hated him this past year. So it’ll be fine.”

Ceren took a breath then. “So... you don’t know what sex is? Umm, I’m honestly not sure where to start. It might be easier if you could tell me what you know. Like... what physical differences you know about between men and women, and about your cycle. I’m younger than you and I just started mine, so I know you’ve had to have yours by now.” As weird as it felt talking to Aerith about this, Ceren’s mind had fallen back on everything she’d learned at the academy and the ease with which the healers had talked about it all and taught her about it.

@ sun spirit

Aerith offered her friend a weak smile as she reassured her, squeezing her hand before nodding. "I guess you're right.. I'm just worrying over nothing." She let out a little sigh, listening to all of Ceren's questions, nodding a little at some parts but also looking very confused about others.

"I know about the physical differences.. As for cycles, I dont really know what that is... Doesnt it have to do with bleeding? A few years ago I started bleeding after I accidentally disturbed an old tomb.. But I just assumed that the ghosts cursed me.." Aerith admitted softly, a blush creeping up her cheeks as she realized how silly it sounded.

@ katahdin

Trying not to make Aerith feel worse than she already seemed to, Ceren nodded. “You were close. A lot of women call it a curse, actually,” she explained with a little smile. “Basically, only women have it, and we get it when our bodies decide we’re ready to start making babies. So long as you bleed once a month, you aren’t pregnant, but if you notice you haven’t had one for a month or two, chances are, you’re pregnant. You won’t have your cycle while you’re pregnant.” She really hoped this was making sense to Aerith, because she was trying to explain it as easily as possible.

Of course, next came the part that was more uncomfortable. “As far as sex... well, sex will get a woman pregnant. How it happens is... well...” She felt her cheeks warm as she continued, “You know men have penises and women have vaginas, right? So a man and a woman will be together and the man puts his penis in the woman’s vagina and it’s supposed to feel good to both of them, and after it’s done, the woman might be pregnant. And the reason people usually aren’t supposed to be alone before they marry is because the couple isn’t supposed to have sex beforehand. Ideally, no one should have had sex with anyone. And any pregnancy that happens outside of marriage is illegitimate.... umm, any questions?”

@ sun spirit

Aerith nodded as Ceren explained what cycles were, the whole concept making sense to her. "Ok, I understand.. If I bleed, then I'm not pregnant, and if I dont bleed, then I'm pregnant." She repeated it back to Ceren just to double check that she had everything right. Once Ceren began to explain sex, her cheeks heated up in a blush as her friend explained the intricacies of it to her.

"O-Oh... So.. Nyrel will.." she started, before she blushed even brighter, hiding her face in her hands out of embarrassment. "That's so weird! How does anyone not die of embarrassment? And I've heard other people bragging about having sex before, but I dont think they're married, so if no one is supposed to do it before they marry, then why does it happen anyway?" She asked, peeking out at her from behind her fingers.

@ katahdin

“You got it,” Ceren confirmed with a nod, feeling much more comfortable talking about cycles than sex. “But if you suspect, you should come to the infirmary so someone can make sure. We have tests we can do to see. And herbs we’d want to give you that would help out you and the baby,” she explained.

Of course, then she had to deal with the sex side of the conversation and Aerith bringing Nyrel into it—which Ceren really didn’t want to think about, and it was all she could do to nod as realization seemed to hit her friend. “I-I don’t know, Aer. I um, I’ve been told it’s painful for women the first time, that there might be some blood, but otherwise, people enjoy it, as weird as it sounds when you talk about it. And some people do it before they marry because they want to. Most of the time, you just hope they come to a Healer for herbs to prevent pregnancy. I mean, it’s... it’s more of a social rule than anything. It isn’t really illegal or anything like that.”