In a bamboo grove outside the city of Empycchu, a group of teenagers in light blue tunics are copying the motions of an older woman in white robes. The group stretched their legs after a long training session. A woman in black approached the group, drawing the attention of the teacher. "Ah, Motoko. You're here. Did Midori wake up from her nap? Thank you for watching her again. Aoi and I have been very busy lately, so you've been a great help to us."
The woman lowered her hood and removed her mask. "Your thanks is not necessary Master Eiko. I am honored to help in any way I can. She didn't cry when she woke up, but she did stand up before waddling toward me. I sat her down and she asked where mama was. Master Aoi had returned before I went to find you." Motoko said while bowing to her. Eiko looked to her students.
"That will be all for today. I'll see half of you this evening in the rice paddies. There's still plenty to harvest before winter. The rest of you will do it tomorrow evening. Don't injure yourselves practicing before our next meeting. May the Godbird guide you and keep you flying over life's obstacles."
"May Empyrea lift you as well Master Eiko." The students said in unison. The group began walking out of the grove while talking with each other. Eiko approached Motoko after her students had left her view.
"Is that all you wanted to say to me Lady Motoko?" The ninja set her mask on the ground.
"It is not. My father wanted me to ask you if the traps for the Heligator Deterrence Project have leeched into the fields after the recent storm. We wouldn't want the poisons we use damaging our crops." Eiko stood up and put the feather she was carrying in her hair.
"The storm hasn't affected any of the traps near the rice. There were damaged tubes by the edamame and some of the grass did change color, but it hasn't affected the beans as far as I know. I haven't had a chance to see the Mashua field yet, but that's the one I'd be concerned about. Root vegetables are less vulnerable to the elements, but more vulnerable to toxins in the soil."
Eiko yawned and sat down on the ground. She began massaging her calves with her hands. Motoko knelt on the ground next to her.
"Are you injured Master?" Eiko shook her head.
"No, I'm just not in top form today. Midori was scared of the lightning last night, so I had to stay up with her until it passed. Strangely enough, the thunder didn't seem to affect her. She probably got that from her father. That man can sleep through anything. It's kind of calming in a way. I can't really explain it."
Motoko held her mask in her lap. "I know the feeling, though not in the same way. When I was a child, I would watch my father smooth and repair his old masks. I don't know why it put my mind at ease. Even now, passing by that room makes my racing thoughts slow down. Please continue with your day Master."
"Just call me Eiko when the students aren't around. You're close enough to the family that we don't need ranks. Anyway, I obviously did not sleep well. Then I had to survey the damage to the fields as soon as the sun rose. I'm thankful my students are so understanding, so I could move the lesson time. They even did some of the surveying so I could go home and sleep until the late afternoon." Motoko leaned back on her metal arm.
"Don't you feel like you're stretching yourself too thin? Between your students, your daughter and all your other duties you must be exhausted every day." Eiko laughed while rubbing her ankles.
"It looks like that if you don't see us every day. Aoi and I alternate teaching days so one of us can take care of Midori and relax. When that doesn't work or we get called into a meeting, we have Yasuhiro. If he's busy, we have you. My students take care of her sometimes too. Harvest season is almost over, so I won't have to worry about those duties for a few months. You just have to learn how to organize your time and use the resources around you. It'll be easier to understand once you have your own child." Motoko stared into the distance at the mention of her having a child.
"May I confess something to you Eiko? I feel you would have the best advice regarding it given your recent experiences." She asked without looking at the master. Eiko crosses her legs and turns to the ninja.
"Only if you look me in the eyes while doing it." Motoko hesitantly turns to Eiko. She raises her mask to her face, only to lower it before putting it on.
"I never knew my mother, but knowing what happened to her when she gave birth to me has made me... concerned about the idea of pregnancy. It's something I never thought I'd experience, but after watching over Midori and my experience at the bazaar I'm starting to think it's possible. There's still that nagging thought in the back of my mind that says it will kill or maim me though."
Eiko placed her hand on Motoko's metal one. "Your concerns are well founded. Hatching an egg of one's own affects every woman differently. Nothing is guaranteed, even conception. Aoi and I had to try for four years before we were blessed with Midori. After that, there's many months where your body seems to fight you every day. Even after delivery your body does not just return to normal. It was almost a year before I hopping off bamboo and people like I was before." She places the hand on Motoko's abdomen. "That being said, you are not your mother. You're a strong young woman who has faced some of the most fearsome things this world has to offer and survived. Not only that, but you stopped those threats to the world and became even stronger from it. When it comes to physical health, I have no doubt that you'd be able to survive delivery." She stands up and holds her hand out to Motoko. The ninja grasped her hand and was pulled up.
"We are not living in your mother's time either. I don't know if he's told you this, but Aramaki wanted no future child to go through what you did after he became the leader. I was only a teenager taking her first lessons as a monk when he came to Empycchu. He told us what happened and how he wanted to improve medicine for the whole island to stop it from happening again. Some of the first missions he sent people to the outside world on were to copy medical texts. We have an entire monk order dedicated to healing because of him. Besides, isn't your partner a potion maker? He wouldn't let you die. Ultimately, the only thing stopping you from having a child at this point is you and your partner's feeling ready to do so." Motoko smiled and put her mask on.
"Thank you for the reassurance master. I suppose I'm just nervous about all the changes in my life right now. I will tell my father about the traps. Expect a team from the poison master to look at the beans and Mashua later today. May Empyrea's wings let you fly over life's obstacles." She said with a bow toward Eiko. The master bowed toward Motoko.
"And may the talons of the godbird help you defend our way of life. If you wish to know any more about my pregnancy experience, you may come at any time."
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