Re: Dora and Addi
As Dora fidgeted a bit, settling against the wood of the porch, Addi kept her eyes on the witch, not able to bring herself to look away. The truth was clear in the other woman's eyes, though Addi couldn't fathom how Dora could truly understand what she was going through. Only then she asked that question, and Addi shook her head. No, Phillip hadn't told her much about Dora's history--enough to get an idea of why Dora was the way she was, but not so much that he was telling things that weren't his to tell--but she'd always been curious.
And then Dora went on, and it felt like her stomach turned to ice. Her face paled, the blotchy spots from her crying fit fading some. How--why--would a Healer do that to Dora? It was the antithesis of what Healers were supposed to be! "I do know that," she agreed, her voice sounding scratchy and rough, at Dora pointing out her own miserable adventure with morning sickness--a cruel name, indeed.
She nodded slightly as Dora went on, understanding what she was saying on a deeper level than she'd have thought possible. She didn't want to rush this, any of this, but this baby was happening, it was coming whether they were ready or not, but that didn't mean they had to rush everything else while they were at it. "I don't... I do feel sure of my choice. It's terrifying, but it's the right one. But everything else... is it so wrong to want to go slow? To spurn tradition?" She didn't feel a driving force to be married before giving birth, even if doing things in the traditional order would have been preferable. But she was already pregnant, so the traditional order of things was already shot to hell.