The next day she found Colin already in the kitchen with Orn. The boy sat in his highchair, attempting to feed himself. Greeted with a cheerful, "good morning," she went about the business of trying to discover a good tea to drink. This woman had so many jars of so many herbs and spices it was mindboggling. She slid one toward her that sounded particularly fancy, 'Pennyroyal Tea.' "Is this tea good?" She held the jar out to Colin.
"You, um, mainly used it as part of a process to prevent pregnancy. It wasn't ex- actly a regular drinker."
"Oh... that's something that I hadn't... ah... hadn't really thought about." She may not have remembered Colin, but her body certainly had...
"Yeah, I guess I hadn't really either. That was something you normally did on your own."
"Well, I can't exactly cast spells. So... looks like nightly visits are out until I can."
"You can't work magic anymore?"
She shook her head. "I know I should know how but... nothing."
"Well... maybe we should take a trip to the druid grove."
Colin filled her in on the Druid's Grove and she found herself wondering more about the woman, Sanria. She had grown up in the Grove, she had lost a child in the grove... and the idea of losing children and having children brought her back around to Arlenia. It seemed a little bit of a sore topic because it inevitably brought them around to discussing why Colin wasn't trying to make a family with Arlenia. The inevitable answer being, "So long as I can't return her affections the way she deserves... I just can't feel right being in a relationship with her."
"Now that I'm no longer in the way, maybe you should learn to love that Arlenia girl and be a family. You could take Orn and you could learn to love her... well, let yourself."
"Sanria... if that was where I wanted to be, that is where I would be. I'm not here because I feel trapped here."
"I'm not saying you do. Or that you are... But I know you have a child on the way and well... with all the foolishness that is life, why not go for it and not let anything stand in your way?"
"Sanria, that _is_ what I'm doing."
"I don't understand... she's pregnant with your child. I'm not. I... don't even know you."
"You are the woman I love... and we do have a child. And I know you don't know me, but you are getting to."
She couldn't understand why this man kept claiming to be in love with her, and she argued the point - he was in love with a memory. She had nothing, not even a recollection of her last name ("Stone" he informed her). It wouldn't do. She didn't feel comfortable playing into his delusion. She would just have to leave the cavern and stay elsewhere like she'd originally planned.
The whole discussion went downhill quickly and when Colin discerned her plan, he simply looked dejected and cowed. She felt her heart tugged strongly at the large man, hanging his head and the little boy coated in oatmeal and asleep in the remainder of his breakfast. She sat down once more and was treated to the story of Colin being infused with black makou and just how bad things were for him when she wasn't around. She sat listening and thinking - was this really terrible? A man who clearly adored her, a little boy who was supposedly her son... what did it matter to her? She could simply stay in the guest room and help Colin remain calm. It would cost her nothing, really.
