Aside from a few rude comments from Hjortur about his "advanced" age, Beltan hadn't really suffered much beyond some friendly ribbing from Xo's family when they'd come clean about their relationship. Time kept moving endlessly forward, though, and the looks Beltan and Xoana exchanged whenever births and birthdays were announced became more and more pointed until finally...
"You know, I was thinking," Beltan began, voice casual. "Quetzal's out on his own now and it's only a matter of time before he meets someone special, settles down... Well, I dunno about you, but I'd like to do some more parenting before I start grandparenting." Laughing at himself and his 'masterful subtlety', Beltan met Xoana's eyes square-on and very deliberately lifted his eyebrows.
It wasn't that Xoana hadn't considered becoming a parent. On the contrary, she daydreamed frequently about motherhood. After all, she'd been the family babysitter for at least two sets of children, and she wondered how having some of her own might be different, more special. But that all seemed like a far-off dream. Until today, it seemed.
Xoana's eyebrows shot up and, while she composed herself quickly, she opened and closed her mouth several times, unsure of how to respond. She did want children, and she'd known Beltan would want children as well, one of the things she loved about him was his devotion to family--their values synced up on that nicely--but for some reason she hadn't anticipated this conversation. Xoana cleared her throat and sat delicately on the nearest seating surface. Suddenly her mind was awash with anxieties. What would pregnancy be like? What if she wasn't a good mother? What if she hated parenting? How would it change their relationship with each other?
Unaccustomed to being anything but breezy and confident, after what was surely an epic face journey, Xoana "deftly" tried to shift the mood to one she was more comfortable with. "Is that a proposition, sir?" she asked in a flirty tone, one hand on her hip.
"Absolutely. In fact, I'm given to understand that it's a somewhat pivotal part of the process," he answered playfully, drifting over to her and reaching out to lightly chuck her under the chin. He couldn't recall having ever seen her so unsure of herself before. Go figure it would be this particular subject and his big mouth that would scuttle her.
"I guess it's a bit late to say so, but no pressure. Really. I'm not saying right this moment. Well.. I mean. We could start trying..What am I trying to say here?" Clearing his throat and coughing gently, Beltan mentally shook himself and started again. "How about we go on a date, have a nice dinner at that same place you invited me to the first time, and see where the evening takes us?"
Xoana's breath caught in her throat and she flushed pink. How did he always know exactly how to do that? The little touch made her heart leap and she began to feel more normal. She giggled at his joke and rose up out of her seat to tuck herself against him in a hug.
Seeing him a little flustered also seemed to help, like she wasn't the only awkward one in this conversation. She couldn't help but smile. The suggestion of a date was also just the thing. Xoana brightened visibly.
"I would love that," she answered. It would also give her time to think about the idea of kids a little longer. "Let me just get ready." She gave him a soft kiss, then went to her jewelry box to pick out something nice.
She was aware of course, that she didn't need to wear fancy jewelry to impress Beltan, but she liked to wear it anyway, and the fact that he would get to remove it for her later made it even more fun. She selected a matching set of gold bangles, two each for her wrists and one that clasped around the narrow part of her tail. After she put them on, she fussed with her hair just a moment to get it to wave the way she liked, and then put on some perfume, which was a solid that she rubbed on her neck and breastbone with her thumb. It had a sweet and spicy smell to it, but only if you got quite close.
Once finished, she floated back over to Beltan. "Okay, I'm ready."
Beltan breathed a little easier after he'd made her laugh and watched her drift off to get ready, a small smile playing about his lips. While she sorted through her treasures, he went ahead and donned his one concession to fashion (a collar style torque made of patinated copper, which Xoana had bought for him) then waited for her by the door.
~~~~
Miraculously, despite the spontaneous decision to go out and the total lack of a reservation, they were able to get a table. The restaurant had, of course, updated and changed the menu, but they were able to order some things they'd enjoyed before and sample some new things, too. Beltan couldn't have planned it better if he'd tried.
Xoana was certainly in a romantic mood by the time they finished their meal. She loved chatting together, as always, and the sight of her beloved in his handsome collar, a rare occasion as Beltan was so practical, was enough to make her cheeks pink. She reached across and touched his hand frequently throughout the meal.
As they left, she looped her arm through his, tucking her body against him. "Why don't we take the long way home?" She suggested. Xoana had some thoughts she wanted to express, though she did fall quiet at first, until there weren't any Naiad around.
"I'm sorry I clammed up this afternoon," she started, once they had some privacy. "I....I do want children. I think about it all the time! I'm not sure why I got all..." She shrugged a little as she tried to find the right words. "You know when you hope for something for a long time, but when it actually happens you get scared?"
Beltan let Xoana choose their route home, drifting along arm-in-arm beside her, and when she slowed to a stop, obviously wanting to talk, he gently unlooped their arms and took her by the hands instead. He politely gave her the time and space to say what needed saying, gazing at her face with open affection.
"I know what you mean," he reassured her when she finished, recalling several such instances across his lifetime in which he'd felt that way exactly. "You don't have anything to apologize for, though. I did kind of just toss you in the deep end instead of working up to what's generally a pretty serious conversation between partners. I'm sorry for getting ahead of myself, Xo. It was really thoughtless of me."
Xoana nodded along as he spoke. He made a good point; that was a pretty serious conversation. But it was a conversation she did want to have. "I like that you're excited," she said, touching her forehead to his affectionately with a smile. She closed her eyes and breathed deeply. "I feel like there's so many unknowns with starting a family," she said after a moment of quiet. "But I'm happy and thankful to do it together, with you."
She wrapped herself around him in a hug, suddenly wanting to just be very close. "Let's call this an....ongoing conversation, yeah?" she suggested, speaking sort of into his neck. "But..." she started again, quietly, "let's go ahead and get the potion....that way when we're ready.....we'll be ready."