Usually The Dancing Star made port in Yoreiqi, but for Aijuno this year his mother had been called to the other side of the world, they had docked in Thanatos several days before the festivities began and Rajko enjoyed the shore leave immensely. His wings stood out in any crowd, but mostly the reactions were simply curiosity by locals and tourists alike. He was proud of the wings and always happy to show them off, letting more than one person pet them when asked.
There was a bit of a language barrier. Rajko only spoke Yoreiqi and Common, but was quickly picking up a handful of words quickly. He wasn't completely ignorant to what the holiday was all about, but he wasn't really aware of it either. Inima was the God of these people, and he understood it all had something to do with her and luck and fertility?
That all sounded fine to him! Being mixed race, Rajko had never completely fit in with the Serenians his mother called her people, nor the Yoreiqi that his father belonged to. However he fit pretty close with the island people of the man that fathered him.
Fertility was a major part of their culture too. Children were blessings and it was a joy to have them. Things were a bit different here, but it was close enough to make him feel somewhat comfortable with the whole thing; especially since everyone seemed so very excited about some event that was taking place at the height of this entire party.
Being ever curious, Rajko immediately plunged head first into the goings on. He caught enough to know men and women were putting their names on papers and then into jars. Not knowing why they were doing it didn't stop him from also putting his name in.
The only way to learn was to do.
He recognized when names were beginning to be called, and obediently stepped forward when he heard his. A pretty, and really short, woman stepped forward with him. His eyes looked around excitedly as the elderly woman continued speaking after the names had all been drawn. The candles blew were blown out and he looked down at the woman beside him curiously.
"I'm Rajko." Of course he had no idea that those were the first words he would ever speak to his wife.
This was exciting.
And scary.
With neither title or beauty to attract a husband conventionally, Sanshi had put her name into the draw as a sort of last ditch effort. Making sure her head covering was on tight, she licked her lips, took a deep breath and when her name was called she moved forward. It was a sort of blur. She'd had a drink or two to calm her nerves because she knew whoever got their name called with her would be a little put off.
Well, once she pulled the head covering off. A bad omen, they'd say. Just because her hair was red. Hesitantly - since she'd been staring at the ground so intently - Sanshi didn't look up from the man's shoes until he introduced himself. Luckily for her new husband, Sanshi had picked up common over the years of making pottery for tourists. It was a little broken sometimes and she didn't understand most idioms, but... The basic skills were there.
When she finally looked up her mouth dropped.
"You're a foreigner," She said simply, her accent light and lilting, Sanshi blinked before she reached forward to take his hand and smile at him. Maybe he wouldn't... Hate this? Hate that he was stuck with her? "I am... Sanshi," She said, smiling brightly, the alcohol helping her bright smile along with her flushed cheeks.
"It's... Do ..." Sanshi frowned and pointed to the candles, "Do you know? Do you know what you are?"
"Yes." Rajko answered simply with a smile. Yes, he was a foreigner. He blinked and looked down at their hands when she took his, but his smile didn't falter, if anything it grew wider. Everyone had been so friendly to him!
"Sanshi." He repeated her name, rolling the sounds about in his mouth a little bit. She had a very pretty smile! The way she blushed made him curious. Why would she be blushing when giving her name? It seemed a little odd. Most people hadn't blushed when introducing themselves, so he knew it couldn't be a Thanati thing. He decided to try to put her at ease with a compliment. Not hard, since he didn't have to lie. "That's a pretty name."
A moment later and his grin was replaced with a look of confusion. Did he know what he was? What an odd question! Ooooooh...maybe it was because of his wings? Completely ignoring that she had pointed at the candles, Rajko flexed his wings slightly, making the feathers rustle. "I am human!"
Sanshi listened to him, looked at his wings. The flush from the compliment of her name and she made sure the headwrap was still on because what if he saw? Would he still want her if he knew she had red hair? Sanshi's worst fear was that... Her husband wouldn't be interested in trying to know her if he knew she was a walking bad omen.
The only reason she could make a living was her pottery. Well, there were probably other opportunities but the shyness and social outcast part of her life didn't help with any sort of out going nature. When Rajko exclaimed that he was human, Sanshi's face fell and her heart beat picked up. Did... Did he even know? Tears pricked her eyes and she took a deep breath to calm herself. While she'd braced herself for at least some weariness, her new husband not even knowing?
Surely he knew. He had to know.
"Yes," She nodded, looking at his wings. Looking at his face. All his interesting markings, "You're human and..." Sanshi waved her hand at the candles, "You are my...." While she didn't wait, her breathing picked up into little panicked puffs and she squeezed her eyes shut for a moment. "Husband," she finished, opening her eyes again and hesitantly reaching for his hand though she stopped short and took her hand back because what if he didn't want her touches?
"We are married."
Rajko's expression fell suddenly. Why were there tears in her eyes? Oh, but they were a pretty green color, he hadn't truly noticed before. Still, the tears detracted from the beauty. Had he said something wrong? He felt strongly that he had said something that had caused those tears and wished that he knew what mistake he had made in their extremely brief conversation.
Thankfully she tried to explain something to him, but unfortunately he didn't really understand. He cocked his head to the side with a slight frown and a puzzled expression on his face. What did she mean that he was her husband? What was married?
"We are...married." Poor Rajko still seemed a bit confused, but he reached for her hand and smiled brightly. There was no need for tears or her to be nervous! He didn't know what was going on, but it was all going to be just fine. "Don't cry. What is...married? What is husband? I have heard those words before, but I don't really understand..."
Sanshi just stared at him.
Green eyes wide and a flush on her cheeks and she looked to the candles and looked to Rajko. Was this better or worse than being shunned. Taking a deep breath, she pushed her own sadness down - it appeared she wouldn't get the marriage she was hoping for - and gently took his hand. It would be better to explain to him in private. Or at least anywhere but here. After tugging him along into a little corner, she sighed and looked up at him, a little defeated.
Why did he have to look so... Nice? So happy?
"Married," she insisted, the words weren't coming to her in her distress so she held up her hands, one finger each, "Man. Woman." She wiggled a finger each before she curled them around one another, "Together. Married. Just one." A glance over her shoulder and she took her hand and put it on her chest, "I am your wife now and you," she put her hand on his chest, "Are my husband. We are married." Then she paused and looked away, "Only for a year if you don't like me."
Or she didn't like him.
But Sanshi wasn't about to throw her only chance of a family away so easily - even if he was a foreigner with wings. The wings alone had questions pop into her head but... Those could be for later.
Rajko didn't know where they were going, or why they were, but when Sanshi pulled him along, he followed without hesitation or complaint. They crowded into a little corner and he looked down at her with a smile. Oh, but she looked unhappy still. A soft frown came to his face, as he still had no idea what was going on or what was wrong. Was he bothering her in some way? If so, why did she bring him with her?
Soft violet eyes followed the motions of her hands as she wiggled and linked her fingers, and then touched her own chest before his. All the gestures were interlaced with her words. Of course he wasn't stupid, so he understood what she was saying.
The concept behind marriage and husbands and wives was still eluding him. "For a year? If I don't like you? Why wouldn't I like you?"
This was making his head spin just a little bit. The impression he got by the interlinked fingers was that they were supposed to be together. As in they had been chosen to have sex together. That would make sort of sense, wouldn't it? This was a festival for their fertility goddess Inima, right? Maybe they choose random partners to have sex to pay homage to Inima and Sanshi was his partner.
Or his wife, as she had called it.
Hadn't he heard non-Thanati talking about husbands and wives, though? "I'm still confused, but I like you Sanshi. Your name is pretty and you have nice green eyes. If you say that I am your husband and that we are married, then...what do we do now?"
Because he definitely didn't know!
There was a face she pulled.
She tried really hard not to make it, but her lips were thin and she kept her eyes downcast. What as she supposed to do? His questions confused her as surely as all this confused him and... Should she be disappointed? Should she be excited? Sanshi took a deep breath and curled her arm around his.
This was going to be her husband.
Even if he didn't quite understand what was going on. Maybe she should ask him?
"Well, we go.. Home... Or we continue to enjoy the festival," She licked her lips and fixed her robe and head covering, "Rajko?" Sanshi asked, her common a little thick but understandable. A brief glance over to several drunk people, chatting jovially, "Do you... What do you think this festival is for?" Sanshi prepared herself for the worst answer - the one that left her alone at the end of it anyway. So, while she wanted for the answer, she reached back and touched his wings, at least those were interesting.
Go home?
Rajko tilted his head slightly, not understanding why she would want him to go home. Of course, home to him meant The Dancing Star. He looked down at where she had wrapped her arm around his and reached a hand up to lightly trail his fingers along her arm.
She had nice skin.
"Yes?" He asked innocently, then frowned at her question. "It's for Inima." That seemed an odd question. Didn't she know that this was a festival honoring Inima? She was from here, wasn't she? Rajko scratched the back of his neck sheepishly, wings twitching lightly under her gentle touch.
"Do you like them? You can pet them as much as you like. I don't mind." He was used to curious touches in regards to his wings.
Sanshi jolted when he noticed she was petting at his wings, so she quickly jerked her hand back and flushed, looking up at him. A glance away and she cleared her throat, lips pursed before she chewed on her lower lip. "Yes, it's for Inima," She said, voice lowered. Sanshi moved her free hand to press her fist to her upper chest, palm to her collar bone.
"Your wings are lovely," She added as an aside, wanting to change the topic but... No. He had to understand. He could understand, right? Sanshi ducked her head down and took his hand, fingers between his as she dragged him away. Maybe she was cursed. Only she would get a husband who accidentally entered himself into... Into a marriage ceremony - or so she thought.
It was when they were finally some what alone, or at least more alone, tucked between the side of a building and a tall tree. Glancing around, Sanshi sighed before she slowly pulled the covering off her head, red hair bound in braids, curled around her head to keep it hidden - the secondary use was to keep it out of her pottery. "You're going to be with me for a year, only me," She took his hand in both of hers, "This is what the ceremony is for. Sometimes... Sometimes there's children and... Maybe we'll fall in love before the year is up..." Sanshi frowned when the pair of braids started to unravel from their coronet.
Obviously Sanshi figured this was her only chance at all of that. "I... Why did you put your name in the jar if you didn't...." Sanshi sighed and ducked her head down, hands moving from his to hang at her sides, tears filling her eyes again. This was both good at bad. Good because he wasn't Thanati, bad because he clearly didn't understand what was going on! "You're going to be with me, only me for a year. We're married. That's what that means."
Rajko grinned at the compliment to his wings. He was always proud of them, they made him unique and special anywhere he went on the mainland, which wasn't many places, but they drew attention nevertheless. That grin quickly faltered though, because he could tell that she was upset as she took his hand and lead him farther way.
He stopped when she did, still looking down at her in concern and confusion. His violet eyes widened slightly as she unwound the scarf from around her head, revealing her beautiful red hair. Her speaking to him again distracted him from admiring it.
It wasn't really something he understood very well, but he was trying. At least the mention of children made his eyes light up. They were supposed to be together for a year and fall in love?
Yoreiqi knew love. They were very free about love, and adored children. He was supposed to only be with her, though? That was odd, but not upsetting. If there were sometimes children then he wasn't wrong about it having something to do with fertility.
"I wanted to learn." Rajko answered earnestly and truthfully. The unshed tears in her eyes distressed him. He leaned down so that he could look directly into her face, taking her hands in his again and rubbing his thumbs over her knuckles gently. "Please don't cry. I will stay with you for this year. We can have children! I love children. I've always wanted some."
He might have had some back in Yoreiqi for all he knew, but he was at sea so much he wouldn't have known for sure and didn't get to actually spend time with them.
That's it?
Sanshi frowned and blinked away her tears the best she could.
That easy?
"What?" Her voice was a little watery and she swallowed and licked her lips, blinking wide green eyes at him, "Just like that?" A little shake of her head and she glanced at her red hair. Didn't that bother him? Didn't he see that as a sign that she was all wrong? Sanshi just... Looked down at her hands, glancing away before chewing on her lower lip. A little shake of her head.
It wasn't a real family. They didn't know one another but... It was a chance for one, and she gave a little hesitant smile up at Rajko, a little flush on her cheeks before she looked away after a moment. A quick lean in and she pressed a kiss to Rajko's cheek, a little sigh of relief after she pulled away. "Well, it's very nice to meet you. I hope our year together is ... Very nice." Maybe she could teach him how to make pots.
"Was there more?" Rajko asked in confusion, honestly not sure what else there was to the matter. Of course he was going to stay. She would cry if he didn't and they were...married. It was strange and he didn't fully get it, but he understood that married meant staying together, so he would stay here with her.
See, he wasn't completely dumb? He could figure that much out!
A grin quickly curved his lips at the chaste kiss to his cheek. That was much better! Smiling was always better than crying. "It's nice to meet you too. I hope that you will love me. Love is always wonderful, and we can make beautiful babies together."
He looked at her red hair again, his little Sanshi was gorgeous, he had no doubt they would have very lovely babies.
Was there more?
Sanshi looked away.
Other than her being a social outcast? Of her own choosing and for superstitious reasons? Sanshi looked away briefly, listening to him talk. His words caught her off guard. He wanted her to love him? And... "What?" The look Sanshi gave him was probably a little odd. Sort of bugged eyed with her lips drawn thin.
"You..." A sort of tilt of her head and she looked at him, all smiles and sunshine, "You want children?" A look around and she blinked at him, sort of but not quite believing him. "With me?"
"Of course I want children." Who didn't want children? Children were the greatest blessing and gift that could be given to your life. "We are...married. Should I not want children with you?"
Just when he thought he had started to get it! Wait, no, she had said children sometimes happened. Surely she wanted babies as much as he did. They were supposed to be together now, for a year, that meant they would have a baby together, right?
How could she word this.
Sanshi looked away for a moment. She'd been explaining what happened... Sometimes. Not what would for sure happen with her. Could she take care of a child? A brief thought of her grandmother. She'd been able to take care of many children - her father being one of them. "It's... That'd... Maybe children can come later..." Chewing on her lip she sighed before she shook the thoughts from her head like cobwebs and reached for Rajko's hand again.
Passively she started to walk again, "Do you want to ... Festival more?" She asked softly, looking behind him to where the people who were cheerfully drinking still were. Her own buzz was gone - the excited one and the alcoholic one - but... She couldn't fault Rajko for wanting to join in again. Sanshi imagined that his plan for the event hadn't been to walk away with a woman for a year.
Sanshi felt bad. For herself and for Rajko. At least a Thanati would have been sort of mentally prepared to get someone less than desirable. It would have been easier to not disappoint her husband that way. Looking down at the cloth in her hands, she quickly moved to cover her hair back up, taking the clips and carefully pinning her hair away.
"Oh." If he only had a year would that mean no babies after all? Rajko didn't know how much later she meant, but he tried not to look too disappointed. Maybe she would change her mind once she got to know him a little. He was sure he could convince her that having a baby with him would be a wonderful idea.
Babies were always wonderful ideas!
When she began walking so did he, following her aimlessly because he was rather like a lost puppy at the moment, only knowing that he was supposed to be with her. He cocked his head to the side when she asked if he wanted to go back to the festival. A soft frown tugged at his lips as he looked towards people that were still enjoying the celebrations before finally shaking his head.
"No, I want to stay with you, and you don't seem like you want to party." Rajko was confused as she covered her hair up again. He really liked the red, it was pretty.
Another thought occurred to him. "Oh. If we are staying together for a year, that means I will live...here? I don't have a house, will I live with you? We should tell Mother. I hope she isn't too disappointed when I can't go back to sea with her."
He didn't think she would be, there were plenty of young sailors to keep The Dancing Star sailing smoothly without him.
Tell mother?
Sanshi blinked to Rajko after a moment, surprised and a little alarmed. It hadn't occured to her that he'd have a mother. Of course he did. "Y-yes," she saif softly, "you'll live with me," a glance down and away and she rubbed her hands together nervously.
"Back to sea?" Sanshi almost whispered looking at him in profile. Looking at his wings, admiring how handsome and interesting he looked. "You... You don't have to stay," she said, trying not to sound defeated. Of course this had been a bad idea.
She should have been content with what she had.
Sanshi let her head fall forward before she tried to smile at him, "you just... have to come back in a year so it can be... ended. It's okay. I don't want to be the reason you can't be at sea."
Rajko nodded cheerfully at the knowledge that he'd be living with her. That meant he wouldn't have to suddenly figure out where to stay. Besides, if they were married and supposed to be together and have babies, then they should probably live together. Living in the home she already had just made things easier than if he was expected to provide a house for himself or her.
"But...we're married." He tilted his head to look down at her, coming to a stop and reaching a hand out to take her arm so she would stop with him. "Sanshi, I want to stay. I wanted to learn, so I am learning. You will teach me, yes?"
They would learn all kinds of things together! He had already learned that married meant two people staying with each other. For a year. She could help him learn Thanati, too. Rajko had already picked up a few words, but he'd never learn the language in the short amount of time he had been expecting to be there. Now he had plenty of time.
"I won't miss the sea that much. We're on an island. I can go see it whenever I want." He tried to reassure her. It wasn't like he had to sail with his mother. That was just always what he'd done. More than once he'd thought about staying in Yoreiq, no reason not to choose Thanatos now.
A hesitant look at Rajko. Sanshi still felt awful but... He put his name in the jar. Which meant that if he hadn't gotten her he would have gotten someone else so... Maybe this was a stroke of luck? Another hesitant nod and she moved her hand to his.
At least she could get used to the touching. Hands first. Hands only. For now. She supposed.
"Do we go see your mother now?" It wasn't too late and now she had butterflies at the idea.
A bright smile lit up his face when she nodded and took his hand again. Rajko gave her hand a gentle squeeze, grinning down at her. She was quite a bit shorter than him!
"Yes, we should tell Mother. The sooner the better! I think she will like you. You're very pretty. I'm sure she will understand why I have to stay when we tell her about being married." Maybe he didn't get the concept very well, it was a foreign notion to grasp for him, but it seemed like something his family should know about. Besides, his mother was bound to know what it meant.
Grinning now, he kept hold of Sanshi's hand and gently pulled her along towards the port. The Dancing Star was a large merchant vessel, and he pointed it out to her with pride. "That is Mother's ship. She's the Captain. We brought lots of goods for the festival."
Wealthy families had paid quite a lot for the items to be delivered to celebrate their goddess properly extravagantly.
The walk was nice.
Sort of.
Sanshi was still sort of reeling from being called pretty.
She wasn't ugly but she wasn't pretty. Was she? Her free hand moved up to poke her cheek and she glanced away after a moment or two. This could work out right? Sanshi took comfort in Rajko's hand and when she wasn't staring off in some other direction she was looking at his wings. Never in a hundred lifetimes did she think she'd... Get a man with wings.
If they did have children. Would they have wings? Could he fly? Were they just for show?
His words jarred her from her thoughts and she blinked at him, mouth open slightly and... "Dancing Star?" She followed his hand and... Whoa. Sanshi blinked and closed her mouth and...
"Your mother is the Captain?" This was even more nerve wracking now. She moved to walk closer to Rajko, practically hiding behind his arm while they walked. This woman was going to hate her. Everything was going to go wrong and this woman would dislike her and scream at her and tell her to leave her son alone and then they'd go away and...
Sanshi took a deep breath, "That's... Neat," She smiled, swallowing away her anxiety. "I'd like to meet her," She lied. Rajko seemed keen on it and... Sanshi wanted to at least make an attempt to make him happy. That seemed important.
"Yes, she owns the ship too." Captain Killaroja was not a woman to sail under someone else's direction. The merchants that traded goods had to contract her crew and vessel.
Most of the crew was absent. The women were all in the thick of the goings on, having a great time while they were in port, because out at sea there was usually too much work for cutting loose and having fun. Some had probably actually witnessed their impromptu wedding!
All except his mother, of course. She stayed on the ship or at the docks mostly. That's how Rajko knew right where to find her.
With an excited grin still plastered on his face, he lead Sanshi up to the deck, then to the Captain's quarters. He knocked loudly on the door. It took a few moments, but it swung open to reveal a slim and tall woman with raven hair and bright violet eyes.
His mother blinked in surprised to see him, then let her eyes slide past to Sanshi. "What are you doing here? I thought you'd be having a good time out there."
"Mother! I need you to meet Sanshi!" Rajko put his arm around her, beaming as he looked down at her. "She says we are married. There was name calling and candles and then when the woman blew the candles out she said we were married."
Captain Killajora blinked slowly, casting her eyes at Sanshi again and arching a brow delicately. "Is that so?"
Oh no.
Sanshi could feel her heart in her throat and tears of panic pricked at her eyes. Sure they were only walking onto a boat but what if this was a ruse! What if Rajko was a slaver? What better way of getting a new slave than...
Green eyes shot to the pretty woman in the door way. Sanshi felt like she could faint. Light headed and her pulse jumping wildly. "I..." Sanshi looked to Rajko, a tremble in her hands that she didn't try to hide. Apparently she'd used all her bravery just putting her name into the jar.
"Yes... I... Rajko didn't understand but... It's only for a year and a day. After that everything can go back to normal for him, I promise!" Thats whay she wanted right? Her son back? Sanshi didn't meet the woman's eyes, instead she stared at the ground, head down.
Thankfully Rajko was too excited with his eyes forward to notice the panicked tears in Sanshi's eyes. He was too excited to notice much of anything except that he had to show off his new wife to his mother. Wife was the right word, right?
Yep! That was it. See? He was getting the hang of this already!
"I...see." Captain Killaroja simply stared at them for a moment, silently processing the situation. It was certainly a surprise, but her son was beaming and the poor girl saddled with him looked about to faint. "Rajko, it would seem that you have found yourself married. I presume you will be staying in Thanatos with your...wife?"
Rajko nodded enthusiastically. Sure, it wasn't what he'd planned exactly, but it was going to be a fun little adventure!
"Very well, then. Get your shit and get off my ship. You are relieved of duty indefinitely." She turned to Sanshi. "Come into my cabin and have a drink with me while he packs, Sanshi was it?"
Rajko blinked, expression faltering for a moment before he laughed and leaned down to gently squeeze Sanshi's hand, giving a little peck on her cheek. "Wait with Mother, I'll be back quickly and then we can go home."
"Y-yes ma'am," Sanshi blurted out, head jerking up. It was an odd swirl of sensations. Pleasure that someone was apparebtly excited to go home with her and fear because she knew it wouldn't last. Couldn't last.
Sanshi was allowed to enjoy it while it did last, right?
A hesitant look to... Rajko's mother and she moved her hands to her head to make sure it was still covered. "I'm sorry ma'am," she said glancing away, "If I hadn't put my name in this wouldn't have happened." Well it would. He just wouldn't have been married to her.
And surely that was only good news.
Captain Killaroja turned and walked back into her cabin as her son disappeared to fetch his belongings, she gestured impatiently for Sanshi to follow her. A bottle of rum was pulled from a shelf along with two small glasses. She poured about two fingers worth into each cup and nudged one towards her new daughter-in-law.
"Don't know why you're apologizing to me. It is your people's festival, and your choice to participate. Not your fault you got your name drawn with Rajko." She lifted her own glass and knocked back the shot with a sigh. What a strange day.
Pinching the bridge of her nose, she shook her head. It figured she'd let him out of her sight for two seconds and he'd find some mischief to get into. She poured herself another shot and this time raised her glass in a toast. "To your marriage, I suppose. May it be long and bring you both great happiness."
Sanshi looked at the glass and gave it a delicate sniff. Surely this was poison. Except... No. The woman drank it like it was nothing. So, Sanshi followed suit and couldn't hide the face she made. It was disgusting and the strange burning it left behind made her worry.
Sanshi's face was stilk screwed up though it quickly melted into plain surprise. "It's... Only for a year. Rajko doesn't know what marriage is so... I imagine this time next year he'll... Leave and come back and... Be here." Sanshi placed the glass down delicately. Though she nodded slightly, "I'll do my best to make it a good year for him. And... Make sure he's happy."
Sanshi rubbed her stomach, the alcohol in it weighing her down like a stone. "Are you mad, ma'am?"
She gave a soft, bark of a laugh. "Mad? No, not really. Rajko is a grown man, men sometimes get married, and he seems excited enough."
Of course she knew that her son didn't really get the whole situation, but she knew him well enough to know that he would be just fine. If anything, not knowing Sanshi was the only real worry. Still, the girl gave assurances that she'd try to make her son happy, and that would have to be good enough for now.
"And don't give me that year stuff. My son might not know much about Thanatos, but I do. Yeah, yeah with the year and a day of marriage before you can choose to make a clean split if it doesn't work." She waved her hand dismissively at the very notion. "I know that you are supposed to try very hard to make it work, and most marriages become permanent after that year. You seem like a nice girl, and you obviously wanted a husband if you put your name in, so I'm not expecting that my son will be returning to sea with me again."
For a moment she chewed on her bottom lip. "Just take good care of him? Rajko is a good, sweet boy and he will do his best to take care of you. He might not understand fully, but he will if you just be patient and show him. I think he'll make a fine husband. Maybe by the time I come back in a year or two you can introduce me to a grandchild."
Politely, Sanshi listened, fiddling with her fingers while she looked off to the side. This woman was very scary. But very nice. A deep breath and she nodded. "I just..." Sanshi ducked her, "Didn't want to be alone anymore." A nervous laugh and she looked at the woman again.
Her... mother-in-law. Sanshi swallowed nervously and smiled, then blushed brightly. "You... Want grandchildren?" That was... Sanshi knew children were a thing that could happen, but mentioning it as a statistic and hearing someone talking about it like... a future plan was... Different. "Can Rajko fly?" She blurted out.
Deciding to get married just because you didn't want to be alone anymore? Seemed like a terrible idea to her, especially with such a high stakes chance way of doing it. The girl could have wound up with anyone at all. At least she knew her son was sweet and kind, the girl had lucked out on that much.
The older woman couldn't help but chuckle at the way she blushed. Virginity wasn't a big deal in Thanatos, she knew, but had a pretty good idea that maybe her new daughter-in-law hadn't been with many, or any, men.
"I'm not going to live forever, so yeah, wouldn't mind seeing another little one or two added to my family before I go." Rajko loved children, and would be a good father. Even if she didn't have much to do with her future grandchildren, she knew they would make her son very happy. Maybe this wasn't so bad after all. In Yoreiq things would have been much different for him.
She blinked at the sudden question, but smirked and answered honestly. "Yes, he can."
Sanshi wasn't sure how she felt about a husband that could fly.
Slowly her lower lip was pulled between her teeth and she chewed on it awkwardly. What a day. Evening. Rajko was going to leave everything behind and it was all her fault. Sort of. She was part of it. She was chosen for him and he was chosen for her but still! Sanshi felt... Guilty. Guilty that he'd have to leave his family - his mother and her crew - and... Stay with a stranger.
Sanshi closed her eyes for a moment and rubbed her forehead before she let her hands drop to her lap again. This time, she was playing with the hem of her clothing, short nailed fingers playing with the side of the fabric. Plucking at it and stretching it when she could.
"I'm sorry i'm not... Better," She said softly, looking at ... Her? Mother. "I'd have never been chosen without the ceremony so... I figured anyone would do and... Rajko is wonderful. Odd but..." Sanshi smiled, palms on her lap, " He's beautiful." She looked up again, making eye contact, "You've created a beautiful person. I'll take the best care of him that I can."
Oh Gods help them all.
"Girl, if you spend all your time worrying about being better instead of just being yourself you'll never get a damn thing done." She sighed and rubbed her temples a little. Her son had found himself a sweet girl, but her self-worth seemed about as low as the bottom of the ocean. "You'll take care of him and he'll take care of you. That's kind of the whole idea of being married."
Just then Rajko poked his head back into the cabin, smiling broadly and carrying a large knapsack. "I have packed everything I want to take with me, Mother. Do we leave now?"
"Yes, you leave now. Go home with your wife and take good care of her. I'll see you when we come to this side of the world again." Who knew when that would really be? The Dancing Star traded primarily with Yorieq, so it could be well over a year before it made port in Thanatos again.