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Jun. 10th, 2021 02:57 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
shinonFandom: Fire Emblem 7
Characters: Canas, Nino
Word count: 800
Warnings: None
Notes: GYWO Yahtzee, "curious." Also an experiment in writing something pleasant and unconditionally fluffy for once. Feels weird, man.
Nino was such a dear child.
Canas had many times run up against the unfortunate truth that, when a person said "tell me everything," they would really rather you tell them somewhat less than everything. There was a point - and he never could predict when it was coming - at which any person would decide that further information was surplus to their needs, and without ever telling him so, they would begin to act as if he were imposing on them. He was always very sorry to create trouble, but he never knew it had happened until afterward. Sometimes hours afterward, sometimes days; a few people in this little band had begun positively fleeing his approach, which did smart a little. If people didn't want to know, why did they ask?
Nino, though. Nino really did want to know everything. Yesterday evening, over her reading lessons, she had asked him so many questions and let him ramble on so long that his voice gave out. And here she was next morning, terribly apologetic, with an armload of small parcels.
She ducked into his tent without preliminaries. "Uncle Canas, do you have a teapot?"
"Y-" His throat still hurt, and he could not quite make himself audible. He smiled sheepishly and nodded, and got the little clay pot out of his traveling bag.
Resolutely Nino set her packages down and took the teapot from him. "I'm sorry I made you sick," she said. "I'm going to fix it, all right? Watch this." From the canteen slung at her hip she filled the pot with water. Then she held it out at arm's length, and for a second or two Elfire danced around her fingers.
Her eyes widened. She almost dropped the teapot. In jerky movements she knelt down, placed it on the ground, and stood again, yanking her hands away. "Oh, ow," she said, "I wasn't thinking. It's really hot." She sucked her fingertips. Canas reached out to her in alarm. "It's fine, it's fine! I've got burn ointment. Anyway, I'm here to make you an apology gift." She winced, shaking out her hands, and pushed one of the packages toward him with her foot.
From the moment he untied it a clean, bright smell rose up to meet him. Another few moments' fumbling with the wrapping disclosed the contents, a generous double handful of pink and yellow fragments crusted with sugar.
"Candied citrus peel," Nino said proudly. "I begged them off Uncle Merlinus." Canas was impressed; Merlinus was another of those people who would cross the encampment rather than give him the time of day. "They'll go with the tea - here." She prodded the other package with the toe of her boot. "I hope they make you feel better."
"Please sit," he said, with an effort and, one had to admit, squeakily.
She sat down facing him. "Have some candy! See if it helps."
He took a few pieces - first sweet, but when bitten down on, they released a sourness that seemed to fumigate one's whole mouth and nose. Extraordinary. It stung in all the places he'd bitten his tongue or the inside of his cheek recently, most of which places he was only now discovering. "Goodness."
"Can you talk? Is it helping?"
He swallowed, albeit painfully. "I believe so, yes. Nino -"
"I'll make the tea. Uh, how many leaves do I...?"
"Nino, thank you." He coughed. "You're a very considerate girl. I feel quite recovered -"
"Nuh-uh, you still sound all scratchy." She cast some tea leaves into the pot apparently at random. She seemed to have only the vaguest conception of how tea was made; luckily he was not particular. He'd eaten his mother's cooking for years. "There's honey, too, does that go in before or after? Oh, and do you have cups? "
"I broke most of them, one time or other... let me see..."
Nino shook her head. "You can't store fragile things in the same bag as your books."
"Oh, yes, you're quite right. I know that now." He took another handful of fruit pieces while he searched.
"Say, Uncle Canas," said Nino. "I was wondering, actually." He looked up. She was frowning at the teapot, but seemingly paying little attention to the - oh, dear - sort of leaf stew steeping within. "I can use magic even though I still can't really read. And I can do it sometimes even without saying the words. They help, but..."
"I saw. Most impressive."
"But you can't do your thing without books, right? And you can't do it without all the..." she waggled her fingers. "Chanting, and stuff. Why is it different?"
"Excellent question," Canas said, although still hoarse. "How much time do you have?"
"Wait." Nino hefted the teapot at him. "Drink your tea first. And then tell me everything."
Characters: Canas, Nino
Word count: 800
Warnings: None
Notes: GYWO Yahtzee, "curious." Also an experiment in writing something pleasant and unconditionally fluffy for once. Feels weird, man.
Nino was such a dear child.
Canas had many times run up against the unfortunate truth that, when a person said "tell me everything," they would really rather you tell them somewhat less than everything. There was a point - and he never could predict when it was coming - at which any person would decide that further information was surplus to their needs, and without ever telling him so, they would begin to act as if he were imposing on them. He was always very sorry to create trouble, but he never knew it had happened until afterward. Sometimes hours afterward, sometimes days; a few people in this little band had begun positively fleeing his approach, which did smart a little. If people didn't want to know, why did they ask?
Nino, though. Nino really did want to know everything. Yesterday evening, over her reading lessons, she had asked him so many questions and let him ramble on so long that his voice gave out. And here she was next morning, terribly apologetic, with an armload of small parcels.
She ducked into his tent without preliminaries. "Uncle Canas, do you have a teapot?"
"Y-" His throat still hurt, and he could not quite make himself audible. He smiled sheepishly and nodded, and got the little clay pot out of his traveling bag.
Resolutely Nino set her packages down and took the teapot from him. "I'm sorry I made you sick," she said. "I'm going to fix it, all right? Watch this." From the canteen slung at her hip she filled the pot with water. Then she held it out at arm's length, and for a second or two Elfire danced around her fingers.
Her eyes widened. She almost dropped the teapot. In jerky movements she knelt down, placed it on the ground, and stood again, yanking her hands away. "Oh, ow," she said, "I wasn't thinking. It's really hot." She sucked her fingertips. Canas reached out to her in alarm. "It's fine, it's fine! I've got burn ointment. Anyway, I'm here to make you an apology gift." She winced, shaking out her hands, and pushed one of the packages toward him with her foot.
From the moment he untied it a clean, bright smell rose up to meet him. Another few moments' fumbling with the wrapping disclosed the contents, a generous double handful of pink and yellow fragments crusted with sugar.
"Candied citrus peel," Nino said proudly. "I begged them off Uncle Merlinus." Canas was impressed; Merlinus was another of those people who would cross the encampment rather than give him the time of day. "They'll go with the tea - here." She prodded the other package with the toe of her boot. "I hope they make you feel better."
"Please sit," he said, with an effort and, one had to admit, squeakily.
She sat down facing him. "Have some candy! See if it helps."
He took a few pieces - first sweet, but when bitten down on, they released a sourness that seemed to fumigate one's whole mouth and nose. Extraordinary. It stung in all the places he'd bitten his tongue or the inside of his cheek recently, most of which places he was only now discovering. "Goodness."
"Can you talk? Is it helping?"
He swallowed, albeit painfully. "I believe so, yes. Nino -"
"I'll make the tea. Uh, how many leaves do I...?"
"Nino, thank you." He coughed. "You're a very considerate girl. I feel quite recovered -"
"Nuh-uh, you still sound all scratchy." She cast some tea leaves into the pot apparently at random. She seemed to have only the vaguest conception of how tea was made; luckily he was not particular. He'd eaten his mother's cooking for years. "There's honey, too, does that go in before or after? Oh, and do you have cups? "
"I broke most of them, one time or other... let me see..."
Nino shook her head. "You can't store fragile things in the same bag as your books."
"Oh, yes, you're quite right. I know that now." He took another handful of fruit pieces while he searched.
"Say, Uncle Canas," said Nino. "I was wondering, actually." He looked up. She was frowning at the teapot, but seemingly paying little attention to the - oh, dear - sort of leaf stew steeping within. "I can use magic even though I still can't really read. And I can do it sometimes even without saying the words. They help, but..."
"I saw. Most impressive."
"But you can't do your thing without books, right? And you can't do it without all the..." she waggled her fingers. "Chanting, and stuff. Why is it different?"
"Excellent question," Canas said, although still hoarse. "How much time do you have?"
"Wait." Nino hefted the teapot at him. "Drink your tea first. And then tell me everything."
