Blood sweat and tears

Maea Big dreamers shoot for open skies Maea returned the smile, though it was tainted by sadness as she considered Vai's bump, and the chaotic world the child would be born into. Her sister in law har been about that big when Maea last saw her. Would that she could have met her newest niece or nephew... But that would never happen now. Would Vervain survive in her sister's place? Would any of them live for much longer? "I can't imagine what it's like" she said, more truthful than polite as always. How anyone could brave the risks when there was so much to lose was beyond her. Maea had never been that strong, never taken chances like that. "How long until you're due?" A slight grimace, the weight of guilt and Ludo's calm words echoing through her mind brought it all back. "Yes, I... I was. I'm so sorry." Empty words. It was so much more complicated than that. But yes, the pain. The reason she was here. "The pain is in the spine, and the ribs mostly" she described. "The muscles feel sore, but I have a salve I traded from an apothecary a while back, its for general swelling. Other than that, I just rested... hoping it would go away."