Two Crows Watch from the Gallows Tree (part 8)

(Haha aren’t they kind of rapey? I feel like that’s true but I can’t remember if it’s otters or not. But I ain’t scared haha bring it on lol)

“I’m sure you did.” Aashi smiled kindly. “Were the wooden otters your first set, then?”

(Yep you got it
This is a honey badger video but it covers some of the worst offenses in general from minute 8 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nWfeFrLl6LM&t=580s

He nodded. "Yep! I managed to hang onto them all these years."

(Oof haha can’t wait)

“That’s great.” Aashi smiled again. “I’m sure they’re very special to you. It’s always so nice to hang on to memories from your childhood… and to make memories of others’ childhoods, too.” She looked down as Tasia fondly, who was entirely too focused on her fish to notice.

Emery nodded, and his smile faltered for a moment before he got it back. "It's an important time, for sure. Do you have anything from your childhood that you hang onto?"

Aashi noticed the hesitation and guessed there must be something he didn’t remember fondly. But for once she had the perception to realize she shouldn’t poke it. So instead she answered, “hmm… that’s a good question. I’ve got this little carved figurine of a horse that is only vaguely horse-shaped that my father made for me when I was very small. I loved it as a child.”

Tasia tuned back into the conversation at that and pouted, “she doesn’t let me play with it!”

“Oh, hush, he made you a little snake. That’s enough.” She turned back to Emery and offered, “he carved it before she was even born, in anticipation. He was very excited about his first grandchild.”

"Oh, that's so sweet! Really?" He grinned. "Was your father a woodcarver??

“No,” she chuckled. “Just a softie. He was a baker by trade, but he liked to make little toys for the children in town on the side. They were all kind of terrible, but very, very sweet, and everyone loved him for it.”

"That's precious. He sounds like a very good man!"

“He really was.” Aashi smiled sadly. “I was a very, very lucky kid to get two parents as wonderful as mine. I miss them very much.”

"Are they buried nearby your town, at least? So you can visit them?"

“Sort of. They wished to be cremated… I thought it weird to just have a vase of my parents sitting around in my house, so I sprinkled them around the flower bed. They both loved the flowers very much and I think they’d be happy knowing they lived on in the bed they adored so much. And each spring I get to know they’re smiling at me when I see the blooms. I swear they got even stronger and brighter after receiving the final gift from my parents.”

Emery nodded approvingly. "I think that's a wonderful idea. What sorts of flowers do you have down in the South?"

“Dafffohils!” Tasia piped up eagerly.

“Daffodils,” Aashi corrected with a smile, then glanced back at Emery. “Those were my father’s favorite as well, so I suppose she takes after him a bit. My mother and I liked the carnations. And we planted tulips in honor of my grandparents so of course I took over tending them once my parents were too old to bend down to honor them. We had a few hydrangeas as well as a sort of bookend.”

“They bloom at my birfday!” Tasia said eagerly. I get to sit under them when people say happy birfday to you, happy birfday to youuuu!”

"Whose birthday is it??" Mattathias piped up from the other end of the table. Emery chuckled.

“Me! I’m gonna be five!”

“In a lot of months from now, dear,” Tadaaki said gently, looking at her. “You only get one per year, and yours doesn’t come again until the summer.”