16: Tranquility

It's been two days since Leilyn took the cat like hybrid into her home. Seeing as she couldn't keep calling them 'hybrid', she cheerfully dubbed them Chibi; to the disgruntlement of said hybrid. In fact, when Leilyn saw the look on their face, she gleefully kept the name, a wide grin on her face. The hybrid gave her a few minutes of silent treatment at that, but with a hefty bribing of a whole chicken, grilled with assorted spices and rare as well as tender, they forgave her for her insolence.

Currently, Leilyn's in the kitchen, cooking up some African dish for herself. She's making a small pot of amala from yam flour; making sure to mix the flour well. The soup – Egusi to be precise – is cooling down by the corner, and by the Cosmos, it smells heavenly. In it are diced up pieces of beef, chicken, dried fish, stock fish and a hefty amount of sliced up leaves known as Uziza (also known as False Cubed leaf) and Ugwu (also known as Fluted Pumpkin leaf).

Just because Amharic married into a Royal Italian/British home, didn't mean that her children will miss out of the African delights. Besides, now that the continent is decimated, it is crucial that the Survivors pass down African traditions; especially the legends, history, food, clothing and language.

To the disgruntlement of her late father and his dead mother – Damien made sure of that -, Amharic thought all five aspects of her Nigerian and Ethiopian heritage to her three children and grandson. The woman made sure that her children weren't brought up with weak ass foods of the colonizing destroyers (her exact words). Heck, she even supported an African business – which grew and sold African food ingredients and spices – before she married her husband. Immediately Amharic got the ownership of her husband's company, she set up a whole ass company for them; and they have been flourishing more ever since.

Leilyn could still remember the look on her mother's face when Alex told her that he went on for a week without tasting any African food. The woman sent him a fucking truck load full of African food ingredients. It was fucking amusing for Leilyn when she was told, but when it was her turn, she just stood there in the background as her mother led people, who were carrying African food items, into her then newly built home.

By the Cosmos, her mother is excessive. And fuck, Leilyn and her brother loved that about her. They wouldn't have her any other way.

In five minutes time, Leilyn is done with mixing the pounded yam flour and in the pot is now a smooth, sticky amount of pounded yam. She switches off the cooker, before going to her spoon rack and picking up a plastic, flat serving spoon. She uses it to clean the residual of pounded yam on the wooden turning stick, before going over to the sink and dropping the turning spoon in it. She walks back and serves herself.

She serves a moderate amount of pounded yam onto a plate, making sure that the pot is well cleaned before dropping the pot in the sink and filling it up with water, dropping the turning stick in it. She serves herself a bowl of Egusi soup, putting the pot of now cool soup into the fridge after that. She picks up a Hover-Tray and arranges the plates of food in it, along with a fork and a bottle of water and a strawberry-vanilla-banana milkshake. She picks up another tray and places Chibi's food in it – consisting of a plate full of diced up roosted, rare stake, and a bowl of blue berries and black cherries in a bowl, and also a bowl of water.

The dark-red-copper head slowly makes her way over to the living room, where Chibi's currently watching an animation on the Holo-Television. The hybrid is on the big couch, pillows on both sides of them. The hybrid's sitting like a king. And eating like one too. This will make it the third time the hybrid is eating something this large, and it's only 2:21pm!

"Here is your lunch, your majesty." Leilyn says with an amused smile, presenting the hovering tray to the hybrid. Said hybrid gives a small, pleased meow, with a face which clearly says 'Thank you, my servant.'

It's official, cats are the masters of humans. We're just mere servants to their glorious presence. Not only are they meant to be worshipped, they're to be pleased 24/7.

With a chuckle, Leilyn sits down on the same couch, her tray softly landing on her laps. With a silent "Itadakimasu" from Leilyn, the two proceed in digging into their foods.

Thirty minutes later finds Leilyn and the hybrid out back. Leilyn, who has washed their used dishes and cleaned up the kitchen, is lounging on the en, a cup of fruit salad by her side. She watches with a soft smile as the hybrid plays around in the garden. She picks up the salad and starts eating.

Chibi, whose nose twitched at the sweet aroma of fruits, walks over to her, majestically might she add. The hybrid jumps on the en and stares at her.

Leilyn chuckles over a helping of fruits in her mouth. She takes one last helping of mixed fruits before she starts feeding the gluttonous cat hybrid the rest. Two minutes later, the salad is done and dusted.

With a little persistence, the cat hybrid persuades Leilyn in playing with them. The two play a little game of tag before they took to chasing butterfly or strolling through her garden. When they're done with all their playing and running, their food is long digested.

It's around 4.52pm when Leilyn starts getting a headache. She hisses, rubbing her forehead.

"Chibi… I think we should head inside."

The cat hybrid gives a meow and she smiles sadly at them.

"Yeah, I know. Sorry." She closes her eyes, her smile still on her lips. "I think the sun is getting to me. And I think it's nap time for Piccolo here." She opens her eyes and starts caressing her bump. "Come on, let's go inside and eat a little snack before I pass out."

With the mention of food, the hybrid joyfully makes their way over to the house. Leilyn chuckles, immediately regretting it.

For two days now, this headache comes and goes. It's as if someone was driving a hot senbon into her skull. It's exactly like the hot pain she gets when she forces herself to remember the lost memories of that night weeks ago.

Leilyn picks up the used cup from the en and walks inside, the door automatically sliding shut behind her. She walks over to the kitchen sink and washes the cup, throwing the metal spoon away. As far as the spoon has been inside an animal's mouth, an unknown species in this case, that spoon is no longer useful to her.

Leilyn hurriedly prepares a light snack for Chibi and herself. She brings out one of the left over steak – she made too much for Chibi that afternoon, sue her. It's been a while since she has cooked for anyone, so she kinda went all out (que a nervous chuckle here with a head scratch) from the fridge and microwaves it. As she brings it out, the scent makes her gag.

The problem with this headache is that it makes her nauseous to some food.

Leilyn hurriedly drops the steak on the countertop, sight swimming.

Cosmos… what kind of headache is this? It's been torture since two days. This headache comes at unsuspecting times, and she can't take a fucking pain killer because Zoranne – and also her – is worried that the drug will cause harm to the fetus.

Leilyn closes her eyes shut and starts inhaling and exhaling through her mouth. After some seconds of calm breathing, she starts humming a soft tone, distracting her mind from the headache currently trying to open her skull. It works like a charm. In a minute's time, the pain subsides.

Right now, she's fucking thankful that she paid rapt attention to Sensei's calming lessons.

After making sure that she isn't dizzy, or no longer nauseous to the steak on the counter, she continues what she was doing. She sets the food like she previously did and sets the large and hefty steak - with fruits surrounding it – and a bowl of water on a tray. The tray hovers to Chibi, who's resting on a comfortably on a big pillow. The hybrid slowly digs in, not before sending a judging and thankful stare at Leilyn. The woman huffs out a chuckle before she prepares her own snack.

She goes to the fridge and grabs a packaged loaf of sliced white bread, as well as a half bud of lettuce. She sets them on the counter before going back to the open fridge to grab a jar of mayo, a pack of mixed dried fruits – which she placed and held with her mouth – and a bowl of already sliced fresh fruits. She also drops those on the countertop before going back to the fridge one last time and grabs a bottle of her favorite juice and a tin of small tin of expensive milk. Leilyn closes the fridge using her feet and walks over to the counter.

With her favorite German song lowly spilling from her lips – a song written by R as a gift to Lexus and Ihara –, she prepares her snack. Honestly, if you could call it such. Maybe it's dinner, because Leilyn sure as hell doesn't known when she'll wake when she takes this nap that she's currently battling with.

She rubs ten slices with mayonnaise before cutting a patch of lettuce on one bread and then placing a slice of steak – which she took from Chibi's huge portion before she gave to him to eat – and some dried fruits on it, before using another mayo up slice to cover it. Safe to say, Leilyn lets out a pleased moan when she takes a bite into it. Paired with her juice, Leilyn eats her food in pleasure.

After devouring the sandwiches, she attacks her fruit salad. She pours the entire tin milk into the salad, mixes it to blend with the fruit, also adding some dried fruits in it too, before devouring it. Once she's done, she cleans her used utensils and bowl, before picking up Chibi's empty plate and bowls. When she washes those, she places them on the sink – far away from her plate rack – and then cleans the surface of her countertop.

Once she's sure that the kitchen, as well as the living room, is clean to her taste – this miracle pregnancy has turned her into a clean freak, more so than before that is –, she, as well as Chibi in her hands, make it to her room.

Zoranne proceeds in locking the door and windows, as well as switching off the power downstairs. She slides her door shut before dropping Chibi on the floor. The cat hybrid makes their way over to the alcove, jumping effortlessly on the soft tiny bed. Leilyn removes her clothes and underwear and goes to drop them into the hamper. As she walks to her closet, her eyes catches her form in the mirror. She stops and turns to examine herself.

Due to the food she just ate, her stomach is more bloated. Her breasts are getting bigger – way bigger. Fuck, her chest feels heavy – nipples are darker than usual and getting more tender. Her abs are disappearing and Leilyn could only sigh in defeat. A small price to pay.

She makes it into her closest and grabs a knee length night gown, as well as its silk kimono. She makes her way over to the alcove and sits down. Once she's comfortable, Chibi jumps on her laps. The hybrid makes a demanding meow, head gently butting her stomach.

She chuckles, gently laying a hand on their head. "So bossy." She starts petting him, getting a pleased purr the cat hybrid. Two minutes into the petting, a song spills out from her lips.

"Sky a delightful black,

Covered with twinkling star lights,

Their thousand winks a tempting call,

To which I fall into.

I want to be free,

In the wondrous vast space,

Where time is useless,

And rest is eternal.

The Universe,

With its countless galaxies,

Calls to my very soul,

Whispering words of sweet adventures,

Promising to be forever faithful to my curious spirit,

Promising untold wonders.

Oh, what it will be to be free.

Flying with no cage to go back to.

Soaring in the cosmos with a joyful heart.

I wonder what freedom is.

Oh, how I wonder what it entails.

I dream to set my caged wings free,

And soar into the star filled night."

Leilyn ends with a dazed look, eyes glazed as they stare into nothingness. A meow brings her back and she blinks owlishly. She looks down at Chibi, who has their eyes trained on her.

"I honestly have no idea where that came from." She says with a frown. "I don't think I've ever heard that song before."

Chibi tilts their head with a low meow.

"Cosmos, I hope this pregnancy hasn't turned me to a song writer overnight." She chuckles.

With a shrug, she starts humming a familiar tune – DARK SHAME, by GRANRODEO, a 21st century band. One of her mother's favorite. To help sweeten the music, Zoranne starts playing the instrumental, and she hums along with it perfectly.

Four minutes later, she's gently placing Chibi on their pillow. She covers the hybrid with their scarf, closes the balcony doors before heading for her bed. When her body makes contact with her soft and heavenly bed, she heaves a pleased sigh.

Within seconds, Leilyn falls asleep.