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Aya is little used to having the opportunity to set her own priorities, but she likes it. She's not hurting for any material resources, and the organization of the attic would produce those more than anything else; and she has this entire bookshelf closer to hand. So the attic, which may or may not contain ghosts, languishes; and she steadily works through the book collection. Right now she is on the third in a series of myths from the old religion; this volume is about Aelare, the trickster.
namesthesky
"Does that mean if you were some other, perhaps smaller, amount of happy, that would be the right amount too?"
anotherbreeze
"I don't know. I guess I'm just the kind of person who really, really likes," he waves a hand vaguely, "things like this. Getting drawings of foxes and giving cake."
namesthesky
Aya finishes the magpie the following morning (after having a slice of cake for breakfast). She tucks it under his door.
namesthesky
Aya relaxes a little when he returns unmaimed from dinner. She works her way through an encyclopedia of geography.
anotherbreeze
The following day, however...
It's not as bad as what she saw before. But if she keeps an eye on the door into the hall when she notices that he is a little late coming back from dinner, she will be able to catch him coming in with tears in his eyes, moving a little stiffly.
namesthesky
(She brought plenty of gauze up, after the first time. She still has it.)
"I'm sorry," she whispers.
"I'm sorry," she whispers.
anotherbreeze
"You could hardly argue I didn't bring it on myself," he points out, rubbing his eyes. "I'll be fine. I'm not sure I'm even bleeding."
anotherbreeze
"Sure," he says. He takes his shirt off and turns his back to her.
Bleeding, no. Bruised, yes. And very heavily, if this is what's showing so soon.
Bleeding, no. Bruised, yes. And very heavily, if this is what's showing so soon.
anotherbreeze
"Thanks," he says wryly. "I'm going to go... cry, probably."
And he heads into his room.
And he heads into his room.
namesthesky
"It's - let me know if there's anything I can do," she says, only just loud enough to carry.
namesthesky
Well, that's... whatever it is.
Aya doesn't usually draw people, but she can make a creditable try.
She draws a young woman with silver ink woven into her hair and tucks it under his door.
Aya doesn't usually draw people, but she can make a creditable try.
She draws a young woman with silver ink woven into her hair and tucks it under his door.