Sita
Sita hates being pregnant.
All she can do is waddle around the house like a hippo.
But there is help in the form of Bheem.
He's staying with her while Ram is seeing about a shipment of food for another village nearby.
Right now she is sitting at the kitchen table watching as he cooks lunch. His cooking skills are legendary and she finds her mouth watering from the exquisite smells. She's also hungry.
"Whose recipe is this, Bheemu?" She asks.
"Ah, it's mine!" He says looking over his shoulder at her. "I developed it while living in the city. It's based off something I had there."
"It smells wonderful," she says.
He does a little flourish and says "And done!" He immediately gets a plate and scoops the biryani onto it. He then sets the steaming plate onto the table alongside another plate and a basket of naan. "Here we go. I hope you like it."
Sita immediately grabs a piece of naan, tears it and scoops up a bit of biryani. She stuffs it into her mouth and moans. "Ohh, that's good."
He laughs, taking a bit himself. "I take it Ram isn't that good of a cook."
"Oh he can cook, it's just food for a soldier."
For a while there are no sounds save for the two of them eating.
And Sita finds herself taking comfort in this. Bheemu is just there.
She can see why Mali is always attaching herself to him. He has a presence of warmth and gentleness.
'I'm glad Ram found you.'