Although it had not even been half a year since the calamity between Angela and Dalanesca, his very pregnant Echo-Rose seemed ready to give birth at any moment.  It had been an accident on Angela’s part of course since she’d only been a child, but nevertheless she had advanced her pregnancy.  It was a bit of relief when he was honest with himself because being left frozen in her crystallized state had halted the process.  This was much healthier, but his heart still pulled from her now that her stomach was so large. 
 
Echo was still such a small person that it looked as if she were smuggling two globes underneath her clothing…if he hadn’t kept up with her healing then her back may have been damaged by now.  Even then there was only so much he could do without risking harm.  For tonight though he had been sure to send the healing energies of his crystal garden and all of its intended stones into her. 
 
As usual there was debate about getting her into a gown, but she had agreed and was dressed in a soft powder blue accented in crystal.  Larimar went down her back in light imitation of cresting waves: the stone had been charged so that it’s soothing power was amplified to keep her back as comfortable as possible should he not be by her side.  Though he doubted he’d be leaving her tonight.  Kosen had happily helped with her hair and the light elemental at this point was the only one quick and gentle enough to get things done cosmetically with Echo.  She too was dressed and ready to go to the ball, dragging her reluctant light sibling Kagayaki with her.
 
When he teleported them all there by light, the brother and sister had taken their leave to go to the dance floor.  He however stayed with Echo on the third level amidst the piling of lotuses.  Turning towards her, he gently took her face between his fingers with a small smile.  His eyes shifted to deep amethyst as he looked down at her: his own attire completely black save for accents of light blue to match her gown.  He leaned down and gently kissed her cheek, “I thought it might be appropriate to start with releasing a lotus…”
 
Their masks were still at his hip, ready to be drawn to their faces, but for this he wanted to be able to look at her directly.  So many things had happened over the last year and each day he was reminded of how very precious she was to him.  As it had done so many times before, one of his hands gently moved down to hold the side of her very swollen belly, wondering which triplet he was nearest to.

Echo spent time looking in the mirror at herself as Kosen pinned her long, now really long, white hair up. Thanks to Angela her hair was about down to her hips but she supposed she liked it a bit. It made her glow from pregnancy look even better. “You don’t think I’m too fat for this dress?” It was a soft blue halter that hugged tight to her ever-growing breasts. Crystals lined the waist and lined along the neck of the halter. The light blue faded to an even darker blue towards the edges.

Even her makeup was done fast and it didn’t bother Echo as much as it had used to. She didn’t have the energy much anymore to rave and complain about Naota and his standards. Not that he would have ever forced her into something. Talked into? Sure but never forced. Pleaded? Maybe. 

When they came to the Hanging Gardens, Echo was enthralled by all the flowers. Her hands instinctively came to her belly as she felt the little ones moving in her. A blush came to her lips as she smiles towards Naota. He was cupping her face now and that had made her feel more comfortable. She wasn’t allowed out much anymore. She kissed his cheek in return and smiled. “Releasing a lotus sounds fun… Can you bend over for it? I feel like if I did it I would pop.” She patted her belly and jumped a bit. “One of them is moving!” 

They had only recently been told they would be expecting two daughters and a son. Though Echo had no idea what Naota and Angela had gone through to make sure she was pregnant at all. Getting stubborn she went over to the lotuses and began to try and do different being motions or squats to try and get one. Her fingertips would almost reach one and she would knock it away. “They are getting in the way.” She pouted a bit as she put one hand on her big belly and tried to reach again.

“Naota I can’t reach…” She stood back up and put her hands on her belly. She must have looked adorable with her long white hair, her blue dress, and that big baby belly she had gotten.

He nodded and kissed her forehead before resting both hands on the sides of her stomach.  He was able to feel the end of the kicking and his heart fluttered faster.  Each day the three of them were growing bigger, stronger, and any sign of movement was a comfort.  Though he did arch an eyebrow and have to hold back from smiling when Echo’s ever stubborn nature pushed her to try and retrieve a lotus on her own.  It would have been easy for him to pick one up for her, or even have one float up to meet her fingers, but he couldn’t deny enjoying watching as she tried on her own.  For a minute.  His protective nature always got the better of him in the end and he moved forward.

With a light chuckle he knelt down and pulled up a lotus from the pile, careful not to ruin any of the others underfoot or knee, “They’re in the way to remind you that you don’t have to try and do everything.”  Smiling, he stood back up and gently took one of her hands, resting the lotus into her palm, “Though you are a cute sight when you try.”  He quickly caught her cheek with a kiss before circling an arm around her hips,

“Come on my love, let’s release the lotus and then head to the next level.”  His arm wrapped more as he began to lead her to the ever flowing river that went over the sides of the garden, “They’ve really outdone themselves with the masquerade tonight, haven’t they?”  Before becoming a deity, he’d never really gone to many social gatherings such as this, not since childhood when it was expected of him at certain family and business events.  And even though he still felt a little out of place, having Echo with him was a great comfort, as well as knowing that they would soon be behind masks.

Echo-Rose looked at her husband with a stubborn look as he handed her a lotus ever so easily. “Someday, these babies will come out and then I will be able to bend as much as I want!” She chuckled as he put the lotus in her hands. It was beautiful pale pink color. Against her warm colored skin, it looked gorgeous. A light blush crossed her hands as she admired it. She wasn’t normally overly girly but she did enjoy this. “Well, I’m glad that I entertain you.” She chuckled and smiled as he kissed her cheek. She returned it and let him hold her hip.

She got over to the river and frowned as she watched as all the women bent over and let it go. “Alright, this will be fun.” She bent with him as far as she could go and released the water into the water. She watched as it did a flip and went to land upside down into the water. If by miracle or by Naota the flower ended up right side up somehow. She breathed a sigh of relief.

“They have! I’m so impressed with the ghost. I don’t know how any woman could turn down this place.” She blushed as she remembered the gift of the rose quartz stables that Naota had given her at the temple. She took her mask and put it on her face before long and put his securely on him. “Let’s go dance.” She laughed before moving her wild amber eyes to him. “Not that people won’t know it’s me. I stick out like a sore thumb.” She patted the large baby belly she had.

Once they got up to the higher tier she was practically winded. For energy and just because she saw it, she waddled her way over to the dessert table and started to snack on all of her favorite things that she could find. She held up a candied strawberry to Naota’s lips. “Try, the babies really like this.”

Chuckling, he moved with her to the edge of the river.  With his usual care, he kept a securing arm wrapped about her hips and assisted in her lowering as much as her stomach would let her.  His knee touched the ground and his free hand rested underneath hers as they lowered the lotus together.  At the last second it spun and fell upside down into the water.  As it began to drift, his eyes narrowed ever so slightly and he gave…a little bit of a push, mentally, to have it right itself before it could go over the edge. 
 
“There, see…?”  Before they rose back up, he snuck another kiss to her cheek, “You did just fine.  As always.”  That didn’t loosen his arm around her waist though, even when they were standing again.  Making sure her mask was on properly, he moved his own on.  The crystals that lined it were cool and comforting against his skin, and their energies instantly melded with his own.  The last time he’d been to a ball it hadn’t been nearly so positive.  That had been work though.
 
His hand found hers over her stomach as he smiled, “Echo I think your hair and spitfire attitude would give you away before this stomach ever could.”  They made their way towards the next tier, but as her breathing became more labored he took them the rest of the distance by light teleportation.  She hated when he made too much of a fuss over her, so instead of holding her face and making sure over and over again that she was all right, he instead softly gripped her hip. 
 
“You’re going to have calves of steel by the time those little ones are out.”  Despite the weight from the triplets, she still could move quickly even when winded and he happily took the offered strawberry between his lips.  He chuckled, having a glass of sparkling rose water appear in his fingers from one of the other tables and held it out for her, “I shouldn’t be surprised, they’re inside someone with so much spice they’d have to have some sweet to balance that out.”