Time has flown by, and our son has grown so much faster than we expected. He was still nonverbal, but he was already crawling around like a pro and getting into mischief thanks to Sanise. Ykril and I decided to raise him to be bilingual, which would be helpful for both of us. Ykril could learn Drow, and I wouldn't always have to struggle with the surface world's common tongue.
The first few weeks were rough. Ykril seemed constantly drained, lost in thought. It wasn't just the aftermath of Marpenoth 30, but a self-imposed workload that was clearly unsustainable. He spent his days building the house, evenings training with me in Kyone veldrin, and then dove into studying herbalism, medicine, and research in Waterdeep after dinner. The sleep deprivation was taking its toll. This impacted everything – our intimacy, the time he could devote to our son, and ultimately, his own well-being.

Even with his busy schedule, Ykril made sure we had a date night every other week. Miara was always happy to babysit, but we kept it short so Ykril could spend quality time with our son too.

»Dad, you're studying to be a scientist, aren't you?« Sanise asked Ykril during dinner. Ykril, exhausted, could only manage a slight nod.
»Have you ever been curious about why Mom has such dark eyes?« she continued with interest.
Instantly, he let go of his fork and gave me and Sanise a critical look. I stared at them with a raised eyebrow, a little bewildered, especially since Sanise had started calling us Mom and Dad. After a moment, Ykril placed his hands on my cheeks and whispered, »No, they're a great source of calm and help me through tough times.« He gave me a sweet kiss on the forehead. Of course, he couldn't resist giving my breasts a gentle stroke with his fingertips, enjoying the fact that they hadn't resumed their pre-pregnancy shape.
»I love you« I said with a smile. Yet, it was an invitation for a deeper conversation. As time passed, it wasn't solely about my eyes, skin color, or the lack of pubic hair growth. It was also about our boy, who was not only without a heartbeat but could turn flowers to mush and apples to decay with mere touch from him.
After dinner, Ykril took hair samples from me and even scraped some saliva from my mouth. Thankfully, he was less invasive with our son, taking only a few superficial samples. He was so excited about it that I agreed, even though I didn't want to question the way our lives were unfolding.

I'm curious to see what his research will reveal.