DAY 465

"And here I thought Worthy Dungeon was a no-children-allowed dungeon." Alizz smirks as she ribs the dungeon avatar, standing off to the side of the private Floor Five room. Xenia rolls her black-and-white eyes in response.

"Obviously there's an exception for family! I'm just shocked you let her bring them up here! We've already let Parker head down to the town twice since they were born, so it's not like they weren't getting any time with their pops. And they're still less than a month old!" Xenia shakes her head as she watches the mini-party going on at the other side of the room, focused around Parker, Laeniel...and three bundles resting on a table.

Kelsey grins as he walks over, a drink in his hands. "Hey, the tots couldn't ask for a better escort! I'm more'n capable of keepin' the mountain chill away on the hike up, and a drider is the most stable transport for a kiddo you could ever ask for. Why, I bet you Alizz coulda scaled the mountain vertically and not bothered a hair on those kids' heads!"

The drider blushes slightly at the exaggeration. "I would never! Although yes, drider children do get carried in that manner quite often. I've never had children of course, but I have taken care of cousins before. As for our visit here - well, for one thing, we're due for an inspection anyhow."

Xenia scoffs. "Yeah, you're sure inspecting our drink menu. C'mon, you haven't done a real run of the dungeon in aaaaggges, and you're sure as hell not doing one today."

The drinking kobold shrugs. "Yeah, but paperwork requires us to at least visit once in a while. Besides, the more important thing is, you can't afford to send Parker to town that often now, can you? Unless you want to send him in the middle of the night, and Laeniel needs her sleep right now. More people are challenging Floor Eight these days, aren't they?"

Sincere makes his way over to join the smaller group, apparently not being very comfortable around children himself, and nods. "It's not quite daily...but it is getting there. I believe we have at least three parties here or in town challenging at a Master level right now, and even Experts are occasionally getting confident now that the hazards are more well-known. So yes, Parker isn't called to fight on all that often, but it's a bit of a risk not to have him here. If I or Sevastion substitute in that leaves few guardians remaining between Floor Eight and the core."

Alizz frowns. "To be honest, I'm surprised you haven't started on a tenth floor yet. That outsider team did clear Floor Nine, didn't they?"

The reincarnator sighs, busying herself with her own drink before answering. "Yeah, but they were a special case. Couple other teams have tried but none have gotten through yet, and we've killed a Master and two Experts who've tried. Besides, I ain't eager to get into the...drama of another new floor."

The administrator furrows her brow. "Drama?"

"Well, for one, that means another guardian slot we've gotta recruit for. But also, I only got one normal floor unlock handy so if I want anything left in reserve we'd have to use my 'special trick', and...let's just say that involves revisiting some old shit I'm in even less of a mood to revisit lately than I used to be."

"I see." Alizz nods, uncertain if she understands at all. "Well, you might have some time left, but more Masters are expected to come this year. I've heard mentions of a few who are considering wintering in Grassbrook, given that they can spend their off-days here in the inn without actually needing to travel up and down the mountain. I wouldn't be surprised if someone else clears Floor Nine in the next few months."

Kelsey sets his drink down before waving the dungeon master over. "That's future shit, though. You ain't even looked at the kiddos yet, have you? C'mon, you gotta say hello!"

"I'm a dungeon, Kelsey, I was able to look up their snotty little noses the second you carried them inside. But...yeah, suppose I should. Just hope the way I look doesn't freak them out."

Kelsey rolls his eyes as he crosses the room. "They got carried up a mountain by a giant spider-lady and didn't cry at all! I think they can handle a lady who cheaped out on the color options for her avatar."

"It ain't like I picked this!" The monochrome woman gently protests as she follows after, but quiets down as she approaches the table where the infants rest. Although this wasn't exactly planned as a gift-giving occasion, the table is filled with last-minute surprises brought along by the various guardians or donated by the dungeon herself. There's a whole row of wooden toys carved by Trush, as well as a set of alchemical aids put together by Lollyp and Deylia to assist Laeniel with any after-effects she may be feeling. Although if anything Xenia's really rather surprised - Laeniel gave birth to triplets not all that long ago, as part of a surprisingly fast pregnancy, and here she is after climbing up a literal mountain to spend the day with her husband.

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Speaking of, the massive Rabbit Patriarch is currently sitting on a bench next to the table, carefully cradling one of his newborns in a giant, furry paw as Laeniel leans against him. As his boss approaches, Parker gives her a smile. "Ah, Xenia! Finally here to say hello in person, eh?"

"You bet! So which little one am I saying hello to first?" Xenia leans over and looks at the wide-eyed infant, and finds herself surprised again at exactly what she sees. The child's face is elf-like, unlike a true rabbitkin who would be covered in fur and marked by a button nose. He does have a surprising amount of brown hair on his head though, and two long fur-covered ears. They seem to be a mix of rabbit and elf in shape, with very strong points to their tips, and being affixed to the side of his head and directed sideways compared to Parker's which are more high-set and forward-facing. Xenia is a little relieved that the children all seem to have hands rather than paws, given that her Rabbit Champions often complain about the dexterity of their thicker digits, although she's not quite sure about their feet.

Laeniel leans forward to answer. "This one is our handsome little son, Drakell. His sisters are a little more tired at the moment, but that's Kalella with the blonde hair and Janella with the brown." Xenia examines the two half-asleep infants sitting nearby, and does find them to be nearly identical aside from their hair colors. She breathes a sigh of relief before turning back towards Laeniel.

"Thanks again for not naming any of them after me."

The couple both laugh, and Parker speaks up. "Honestly I would've been proud to raise a little Xenon, or a Xena or something like that. But we'll respect your wishes, and having a dungeon for a godmother is blessing enough."

"Happy to help out, considering you were doing me a favor too. Speaking of blessings though..." Xenia turns her attention towards the elf. "Now, I don't have any personal experience with triplets. But I have had a kid or two and I struggle to even imagine. But look at you! You hiked through a forest and up a mountain and you barely even look winded! Something's gotta be going on here, right?"

The woman smirks back. "Seems I've been found out. It would seem that Kahlia took a very personal interest in my pregnancy. It's not clear on if it had anything to do with the speed of it - the children's, ah, rabbity parentage may have seen to that. But I quite certainly felt her presence during labor, and at a minimum I believe she made childbirth much easier on me, and sped my recovery as well. Although, on top of that..." Laeniel trails off, as if suddenly uncertain that she should say more. Parker seems just as curious as Xenia, however.

"Laney? You've told me about the first part, but was there something more?"

The elf blushes, and gestures for her husband and Xenia to lean in. "I did have a feeling like there may have been something...more, and Mother Hammerdown all but confirmed it, to the best of her abilities. Although please don't spread it around?"

Xenia raises an eyebrow, but gestures for the other present guests to step back for a moment. "Sure, of course. I assume Kahlia wouldn't have done anything bad, though?"

"No! Probably. It's just that I believe this pregnancy may have somewhat...changed me."

Parker's eyes grow wide with concern. "Eh, you didn't mention anything like that! The...rabbit-ness isn't contagious or something, is it?"

His wife laughs. "Aha, no...well. For one, it seems as if Kahlia has permanently blessed my, well, you know, to have faster, healthier, and easier pregnancies. Perhaps that's a little rabbit-like. But it also, ahum...well, Mother Hammerdown suggested it may have altered the, ah, balance of my body or mind in a certain way?"

Xenia takes a deep breath. "What exactly are we talking about here, Laeniel?"

She leans in and whispers the next bit. "I really, very strongly, feel the desire to get pregnant again. It's...on my mind a lot."

"Laney!" Parker's voice is halfway to panic at this point. "There's so many reasons that's a bad idea - at least for the near future! Even with the assistance from the Church and the dungeon and everyone else, being pregnant with newborn triplets, it's - insane! And you know I can't properly be there to help you even with these three!"

Laeniel pats his arm to calm him down. "Shhhh, you're worrying Drakell! And it's fine! I am fully in control of myself, mind and body and everything else. It's just an urge I feel, like desiring sweets...and it's not as if I never fantasized about having a large family before, either. Just, you know...something to consider for the future."

The reincarnator can't help but chuckle at the exchange, although then a thought occurs to her. "Just...keep the math in mind, yeah? If I'm not mistaken, elves usually have some trouble conceiving, right? On top of having pregnancies a year and a half long or something like that?"

"That is true - we often don't have more children than humans, despite living much longer. And despite some rumors to the contrary, it's not as if we don't try."

"Yeah, well...Parker's potentially immortal here, and you're virtually immortal, and now you've apparently got the ladybits of a rabbitkin with the ability to pump out three - or more! - kids a year." Both of the Reeves suddenly look much more concerned as they follow her logic. "Now, I'm happy to help you out, especially if helping you out keeps Kahlia happy with us. And I'm basically the richest person in town, probably, so I've got resources." Xenia stands up straight and puts on a serious expression.

"But I might have to limit the child support once you two get into the triple digits."

"Oh dear gods!" The thought seems to drive the desire for more children from even Laeniel's mind, at least temporarily, as the woman imagines herself with a village's worth of toddlers. "That's...Kahlia..." She blinks and looks up at the dungeon master. "In just a decade or two I'd possibly be on par with any of the goddess's past Paragons! And...I know actual rabbitkin can have large families, but they have short lives, even by human standards. We could...if we..." She blinks and stares off into the distance.

Parker wagers a thought. "So...should we perhaps consider contraceptive use for the future, dear?"

"For the next few years, that sounds like an excellent idea, my love."

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