Two Crows Watch from the Gallows Tree (part 4)

Aashi and Tadaaki took nearby seats, tuning into the story Tomhas was reading.


"It was embarrassing," Ky said.

"But funny."

Ky was silent for a moment, face getting a bit warm at the memory, but she smiled a bit. "Yeah, I guess it was... the library's right up this way."

(It's a little late for me to invent a story but it's basically about how the frog wanted to be big and strong and swift. He ended up making a deal with a devious spirit and was kidnapped by humans who wanted to turn him into a pet. He did tricks for them and eventually begged the spirit to return him to his original form. Then some clever ending)

(Ahah nice! That's totally valid, I wasn't expecting you to come up with a brand new story on the fly. It's somehow so much harder to write a story within a story than to just write the story itself haha)

Ky and Zander got to the library a few moments later. Ky was still cradling the box tightly in her left arm, and had her right hand wrapped around the pendant -- so Zander got the door and then they both strode in. It was easy to spot the others, so they quietly approached, not wanting to interrupt if they were in the middle of something important.

(For reals)

Tomhas paused in his reading as they entered and looked up. "Hey, hi there! Come on in; we're in the middle of storytime." His eyes flicked to the box--what was that Ky had? Had Zander given his gift early?

Ky grinned and approached, sitting in one of the seats between Tadaaki and Tomhas. She noticed Tomhas's glance at the box, but wasn't sure how to respond. Should she offer what it was? Or would that be gloating? Would the others even understand how important this was -- or would it make her seem like a foolish little child to be this emotionally attached to a piece of wood?

"What story are you reading?" Ky asked brightly.

Zander sat down next to her, closer to Tadaaki.

"The Frog Who Wanted to Become a Caracal," Tomhas replied. "A funny story was requested."

"Ooh, excellent," Ky said with a smile. She was making it awkward how closely she was clutching the box, realizing sheepishly that she was clinging to it for dear life. She set it on her leg, but kept her hand on top, wanting as much contact with it as possible. She wasn't even aware that her right hand was still curled tightly around the pendant around her neck.

Tomhas continued to read, though his curiosity was peaked now. It wasn't his place to pry, of course.

Tadaaki caught Ky's gaze and looked down at the box then back at her with a question on his face. She wasS clutching it like it contained the king's finest gems. What was it? Where'd it come from?

Ky glanced at Tomhas, then back at Tadaaki. It'd be rude to interrupt a story. And she didn't want to be rude. She thought about just passing it to him so he could see, but somehow she couldn't bear the thought of letting it out of her hands. Not yet. Instead, she tipped it on end so he could see the weaving.

It was a nice-looking box. He wasn't sure what the significance of it was, but it was clear it meant something to Ky -- so he was glad she had it. She deserved nice things.

It was a short story, and Tomhas finished with a dramatic "and so it was, and so it is!" before snapping the book shut. "How'd you like it, Tasia?"

"That was a good story!" Tasia announced with a grin. "Thanks!" Her gaze scanned everyone, then locked on Ky's box. "What's that?" She clambered towards Ky recklessly and Ky instinctively yanked the box back towards herself, clutching it close to her chest. She'd die if someone hurt these gifts from Papa.

Tadaaki saw the discomfort and darted forward to intercept Tasia. "Ah-ah, we've got to be gentle, remember?"

"I just wanna see what's in the box!"

Ky was overreacting. It was an inanimate box. Wooden. It's not like it would break by getting looked at. She slowly lowered it back to her lap, letting go of the pendant to open the box and show Tasia the inside. "There's nothing inside."

"What's on the top?"

"A dragonfly," Ky said.

"It looks silly! Where'd it come from?"

"I drew it," Ky said gently. "When I was about your age."

Tadaaki got a strange emotion deep in his chest. Did that mean-- could that mean--? Was it something from her home? Gods, he hoped so. No wonder she was being so protective of it.

"You drawed it in the wood? I don't know how to draw in wood."

"My Papa put it there," Ky said, smiling slightly. "He made this box for me."

"I didn't know you could make boxes Mr. Tomhas!" Tasia said, turning an accusatory look on Tomhas. "Are you a carpemembter too?"

Tomhas's face went red from the neck all the way to his ears, and his eyes widened. "Oh, I, um, er...." He rubbed his thumb along the pages of the book and looked down at it, then back up at Ky and Tasia. "Uh...oh. I..." He stopped; he was just making a fool of himself and making everyone else uncomfortable.
"What gorgeous craftsmanship," Harold said admiringly to break the awkward silence. "Your father must have had a great amount of skill!"

(aww poor guy)

Ky gave Tomhas a sympathetic glance. It was clear Tasia had flustered him, even though she hadn't meant to. It had to be so confusing to someone as little as her to understand that Ky had two different papas.

"Thank you," Ky said with a smile. "He really did." She started to hold it out to him, then her arms locked, instincts fighting against her brain. There was a visceral need to not let it out of her grasp. But it'd be polite to offer. "Would you like to see it?"

Tomhas watched her anxiously. It really was a masterpiece; he was sure he could never give her anything so beautiful. Perhaps he should just hide his gift instead of giving it to her, since it would top that. But no, he had to give it to her now. Getting cold feet wasn't what he was supposed to do. He was supposed to be confident, excited.

(awwwww omg buddy)

Ky glanced at Tomhas. Anxiety was radiating from him, and she wasn't sure why. Was he offended that she was so clingy about the gifts? Surely he understood why these mattered so much to her...

Somehow the thought of offering it to him was less scary than the thought of handing it off to the king. She knew fully well they were all grown adults. None of them were going to break it. She was sure of it. A wooden box was literally not something that got broken by accident -- at least if it wasn't knocked off something.

But somehow it just felt right to share Papa with her new papa. She held it out to him, grasp loosening on it a bit so that she'd actually turn loose of it if he reached for it. "I guess he made this for me after I left... it's very thoughtful."