Two Crows Watch from the Gallows Tree (part 8)

"I'm sure you'll have something made of ermine sometime soon," she mused. "When's your birthday?"

Ky blinked, startled. Had she sounded like she was begging? She hadn’t meant to be. “Oh, I, uh… I don’t need anything ermine, sorry, I, uh… wasn’t trying to…” she blushed. She must look like such a little idiot begging for charity when she’d just meant to give a compliment.

"No, I'm always hunting for ideas of what to get my nieces and nephews. Come on, when's your birthday?"

“Varmendir eleventh,” Ky murmured quietly, still blushing. “I really don’t need anything, though. It’s just another day.”

Zander eyed her. It was not just another day. At least it hadn’t been. She’d celebrate ‘birthday week’ when she was a kid, where she gave a daily count down to her birthday while treating herself for a full week leading up to it. Sure, she was dirt poor and her treats were things like going swimming or stretching out in the yard under a shady tree or generally being lazy for an hour or so before she got back to work. She’d get sweets the day of from the baker Lian, and sometimes the blacksmith Drakan would make her a little ring or statuette. And dancing. Ky lived for dancing, and loved anyones birthday dances, but hers even more than usual and she’d give it her all.

Zander didn’t like that it’d become ‘just another day’ to her. She probably hadn’t gotten anything special at all the past three years in a row. He’d need to make sure he was here for it this year. He usually tried to cycle through the girls to be at each of their birthdays every fourth year, while getting the other three sisters in the weeks immediately before or after. Technically it’d been Ky’s turn when they turned fifteen, so he was already a year behind. But he’d have to figure out how to make up for it. Somehow.

(Oh my god you found it)

"I'm saving the date as we speak." She rapped her head. "It'll be your day. You'll be back home with your parents by them, ideally, but maybe Gaius and the children and I can come up and join you!"

(Hahah #dedication also highkey just picked the one I thought I’d remember haha )

“That would be fun!” Ky smiled at that. They’d probably insist on bringing obscene numbers of presents and embarrass her. But, then, they’d probably send those regardless. And it’d be nice to have everyone together. “That’s what birthdays are all about after all — getting to spend time with people you care about.”

(Good on you for looking it up though! I had to look it up just now to remember what my months even were.)

Sara smiled, flattered. "I'm glad we make it into that category after so short a time, Ky. We'll do our best to make it a good birthday, as I'm sure your mother and father will as well."

(Haha valid!)

Ky nodded, still smiling. “I’m sure it will be wonderful.”

Had she told Tomhas and Anneke when her birthday was? She didn’t think so. Should she? She wasn’t sure. On the one hand, they might be cross with her if she let it pass without saying anything. But on the other, it would probably sound like wheedling if she brought it up herself. Besides, she didn’t want them to feel obligated to make a big deal about it. She was enough of a burden as it was without demanding additional attention for no reason other than being born.

(You know I just now realized a massive plot hole lol I’ve been mostly writing Jerica novel-wise and she has a summer birthday but the cover story for Ky is that Petrir and his wife got snowed in one winter, then Petrir emerged with Ky once the weather broke. Which doesn’t fit with a summer birthday. And also if Petrir’s wife died then he would have had others show up to help with the body regardless. So… huh. This RP strikes in the plot hole again xD)

(Two Crows digging up dirt on both of us at our own invuntsry behest XD Not to worry, I've had the same sort of thing happen. But that's part of why we made this rp! It started out as a way to develop our complex bad guys (look how that turned out) and to study our stories more closely, right?)

"What do you usually do on your birthday?" Emery asked. "Do you have pudding like up here?"

(No doubt! It’s been fantastic on all counts… maybe in canon I’ll make none of them know their real birthday lol can’t remember if I mentioned, but how Zander found foster families is he planted the girls with families that had recently lost infant daughters. So Kylia isn’t actually her real name. So ig it would make sense to have her birthday be on real-Kylia’s birthday. And then make the betrayal that much stronger when she learns the truth xD)

“You have special birthday pudding?” Ky asked, side-stepping the question.

(I didn't know the bit about the lost children. That makes the whole Petrir thing so much sadder!)

Emery chuckled and didn't reply.
"It's..." Sara smiled awkwardly. "It's a very longstanding tradition here. Not usually to the taste of Southerners...we offered D'Ara Wai some as a gift a few years back and...."
"It's not as bad as all that," Sera scoffed. "It's stirred cream with some melted butter, cinnamon, and sugar on top. That's all."
"I was thinking of the other pudding," Sara said with a wince. Emery nodded in agreement.
"Oh. That."

(Just fell down a rabbit hole of one single recipe with a Doofenschmirtz level of backstory, took me ten minutes to actually find ingredients and instructions)

(Yeahhh poor guy really did lose his wife and daughter and kinda put his whole world in Ky, then lost her too ;-; )
(Also I just took a shower and thought about it and that solution makes no sense because Zander planted the girls very very shortly after they were born, which means it wouldn’t make sense for her to replace a baby with a winter birthday if she was born in the summer since the age is different, etc. So. Back to it being problematic lol)

Ky looked between them, brow slightly furrowed. “What?”


(Haha that’s cool though! Your detail to your lore is admirable ^^)

(Literally came up with the pudding idea on the spot my friend. 40% of this roleplay is me improvising minute detail and creating new canon)

(Welp that's just something to figure out in another draft then. That's what proofreading is for!!)

"There's this...other pudding," Sera said slowly. "Only found up here. People used to make it when it food was scarce and it sort of stuck around as a holiday tradition. It's called black pudding."
"Guess what it's made of," Emery said gleefully.
"The nobles eat it on holidays," Tristan corrected. "Villagers and townsfolk eat it regularly."

(Haha fair, I just mean like your on-the-spots are detailed haha like recipes, lichen-farming, etc. You put thought into it and it’s cool)

Ky looked between all of them, concerned. It sounded so ominous. What could possibly make it black? Was it like a blood pudding? Or… tar? Or… what would be abundant when food was scarce? Did she even want to know? “…what?”

(Actual effort would be listing the recipes and specific types of lichen. I look things up to see if they're feasible or have been done before and that's enough for me! I'm flattered that you think it's good, though!)

"Pork or beef blood, and tree nuts for extra protein," Emery told her, wrinkling his nose. "Ever had something like that? Do they do that down South?"