Two Crows Watch from the Gallows Tree (part 3)

Ky smiled, looking at the boy. It was an excellent flavor, to be sure. She admired the quantity and quality of desserts in this Keep. She felt like she should have something to add to the conversation, but she couldn’t seem to think of anything helpful to say — and she was still scared of making unhelpful comments. But she was starting to relax, ever so slightly.

"What else are we gonna eat?" Marcella asked.
"Well, there are a few chickens we're cooking, and of course plenty of vegetables--"
"No vegetables," she groaned. "Why do we need vegetables?"
"Because once, your father and I met a boy who didn't eat his vegetables and he turned into a duck," Tomhas said very gravely. Mattathias's mouth dropped open, and she turned to her father.
"He's lying!" she gasped.
"On my honor as an Ash I swear it's true." Gaius raised his left hand as an oath.

Ky nearly laughed, but contained it at the last moment, just smiling between them instead. For all Ash’s talk about being an asshole, he sure was soft on his kids. Ky glanced at Sara and Anneke, wondering if they were going along with it too.

Both of them were grinning.
"I'll eat them if Matt eats them," Marcella decided.
"Don't call me Matt! I like vegetables," Mattathias said humbly. "They taste fun sometimes."
"You're a model citizen, my boy," Tomhas replied. "Could you teach your ways to Oscar?" Oscar stuck out his tongue.

She needed to say something. She was anxious about talking. But she was strangely even more anxious about just sitting here in silence. She looked at Oscar, trying — and failing — to hide a grin. “My papa used to tell me if I didn’t eat my vegetables, field mice would come and shove carrots in my ears when I was asleep.”

"Eww!" Oscar covered his ears, giggling. "I hate carrots!"
"I'm told they're very good for your eyes," Gaius said.
"I once met a man--"
"No, you did not," Anneke scoffed, slapping Tomhas playfully on the shoulder. "Stop filling my children's ears with tall tales, a three of you."
"Milady." Tomhas bowed from where he sat, a boyish smile on his face. "I learned it from the best."

Ky laughed, pleased to have contributed to the mischief, but dipped her head and finally settled back into the chair she was sitting in rather than sitting in it stiffly like she’d been.

"This one's a proper liar." Anneke nudged her husband and rolled her eyes. "I'm sorry he's such a terrible influence, Ky."

Ky laughed again, grinning at her. “It’s the way of Papas, I’m afraid.”

Had she just implicated Loquitur as her Papa? She wasn’t sure. And she also wasn’t sure how she felt about it, if she just had. Was she being presumptuous? And, worse yet, was she betraying her own Papa?

(Awwwww!)

"Oh, did Anneke tell you that her brother and her aunt are coming to the ceremony?" Tomhas sat up straight.
"When would she have told us that?" Gaius asked. "Is that so? Gods, it's been an age and a half since I saw Aunt Ana and Wick. How are they?"
"It sounds like Aunt Ana's been getting stir crazy," Anneke chuckled. "She's glad to get out of the house."

(Haha we getting there! xD)

“Do you know when they’ll arrive?” Ky asked. She was curious to meet them. And to see Tadaaki again. She didn’t know when he was coming, either.

"Any day now, I expect. They'll move a bit slower because Aunt Ana's wheelchair needs to be transported in a cart, but they'll certainly get here before the ceremony."
"I hope she's bringing pie," Sara said, closing her eyes. "I can almost taste the rhubarb ones now."
"I'd eat one of those any day." Gaius twirled his cane in his hands. "That woman makes food like nobody else."

For a brief moment, she’d forgotten about the whole banishment thing and was confused why Ash would know that. But now she was just fascinated to see how those dynamics would play out, too. There were so many moving pieces. So much to observe. So many mannerisms to memorize.

She realized she was acting like she was Aleth’s eyes still. Putting the pressure on herself to see and remember literally everything. But she wasn’t… but that almost made it more stressful, not less. Now if she missed something, she was going to make her new family hate her forever instead of just taking a beating. These stakes were much higher.

(Oh my sweet summer child)

"You two should team up again to bake something extravagant for the ceremony," Sara suggested. "I'm sure she'd love our kitchen, and you're not half bad at baking."
Gaius shook his head. "My baking days are over, my dear. I'm a responsible father now, remember?"
"Responsible fathers can bring their toddlers along to help."

(Hahaha
Ky: everyone hates me because I’m awful
Literally everyone: everyone absolutely adores you but Aleth and like three other antagonists that aren’t even in this RP
Ky: IM NOT WORTHY)

Ky glanced at Ash, realizing that she had no capacity to envision him doing anything but sitting around making dry jabs at people. The man was made to be a Lord. Farming? Baking? Ash? She couldn’t see it.