Two Crows Watch from the Gallows Tree (part 13)

(It's frankly incredibly boring. This dog doesn't do a lot and she's terrible at going for walks; and she smells bad this week. But she does love me a lot)

Rickard looked absolutely charmed. "That's wonderful," he sighed.

(Oof, nevermind, then, you can keep skanky dog lol I love dogs a lot but I’m hella lazy when it comes to pets so I’m good with just visiting people who have them haha or dog sitting good dogs but just for like no more than like a week)


“It really is,” Tadaaki smiled, trying to work past his embarrassment. “Legend says that whoever’s float makes it the furthest without sinking, the person who they love the most’s deepest desire will come true rather than their own.”

“Luckily we had the same desire that year,” Aashi murmured, face warm as she took Tadaaki’s hand and gave it a squeeze.

“That was a good year,” he agreed quietly. The last year he was there. Would it be the same now? Probably not.

(Yeah this is the longest I've had to dogsit...)

Rickard's ears flushed red. "Do you think it's true?"
Sara leaned toward Gaius, murmuring, "we ought to do something like the Waters festival for them. Maybe in one of the hot springs?" Gaius nodded tensely.

(How long have you had her?)

Ky smiled a little at that, though did her best to hide it with her cup. That’d be cute. She hoped… well, she hoped she’d be back home soon. With Tadaaki and his family. But she hoped maybe Tomhas would facilitate it if it didn’t happen in the next week or two before they left.


“Oh, I mean… I don’t know.” Tadaaki blushed more, shrugging. “I’m not very superstitious.”

“But he did win,” Aashi said. “And I found out I was pregnant less than a month later. And, well, I mean, we’d been trying. But. Well. It feels a little too convenient to be coincidental, you know? To have a wish that big granted so soon after.”

(I've been here since the 17th and I'm watching her [staying over at the house the whole time] til the 24th.)

"We should totally do that!" Tomhas said, leaning in to Sara and Gaius. "It'd be a great way to make them feel at home here."

"Certainly." Rickard nodded. "I think good fortune comes to those who deserve it, and you're a very lucky couple."

(oof that's a lot... hopefully enjoyable overall tho?)

Ky smiled a bit more, feeling like she was in the middle of well-intentioned mischief. What a fun scheme to be a part of. She was in favor.


Tadaaki and Aashi both blushed profusely at that and ducked their heads. Tadaaki managed, "Oh, er, I mean--"

"That's very kind of you to say," Aashi stammered.

"It was definitely just luck..." Tadaaki murmured, gaze lowered.

"Nope! The water race said that I got to go home with you!" Tasia said excitedly. "'Cause you built the bestest and fastest raft Papa and you wanted me Mama."

They both nodded awkwardly, face warm with embarrassment, but it was an endearing sort, if that was possible.

(My phone charger just decided to fucking die and for the first time in literal months I let my phone get to 2% before I decided to plug it in so now I'm plugging it in via USB to my laptop and plugging my laptop into the wall and we're gonna see if my alarm goes off in the morning lol)

(I'm doing some movie nights with a friend or two over the next couple of days to keep myself occupied and I'm trying to get some writing done, so it should be fun, yeah! I would just rather be visiting my grandparents with the rest of my family. I forgot I had this scheduled so I can't go with them)

(My mom stayed behind too though so she and I are going to a medieval music performance tomorrow!)

(Oh geez dude good luck)

Rickard smiled slightly. "How does one go about building the best raft?"

(Aww I’m sorry that’s such a bummer ;-; but glad you’ve got some friend and mom time! The medieval music sounds fantastic!)(the phone charging worked! Thankfully, cause the power went out (I had this weird intrusive thought that it would, so it’s wacky that that came true) so my actual alarm clock proper reset the time and absolutely wouldn’t have woken me up and I definitely wouldn’t have woken up on my own)(Also I gossiped at breakfast and got the tea. Turns out Doug poured a beer on his coworker and they’re both the picture of toxic masculinity and are ex-military and law enforcement respectively so you know The Type and that’s why it got so nasty)

“Um… my strategy is to pick fresh reeds and weave them together to make a tightly thatched bottom, then I make edges with dead reeds that have already dried out for stability. Then I let the prettiest girl in the town decorate it for good luck.”

Aashi blushed and rolled her eyes, but smiled.

(Ugh gross
I hope they both work themselves out eventually)

Rickard glanced at Sera but looked away quickly enough that she wouldn't notice. "That's very clever. What's the furthest your raft has gone?"

(They both are being friendly and don't seem hung over this morning it's so confusing lol)
(also he's adorable :') )

"Dunno. One year it went far enough I couldn't follow it on the banks because it got too briary."

"Who knows, maybe it's still floating away," Aashi joked, glancing at Tadaaki and then at Rickard. "But for real, the briars were far away. Maybe a mile? A mile and a half? He's the reigning champ."

"Oh shush." He shoved a biscuit in his mouth.

(It's courtesy posing)

"You ought to sail on the River Ein," Sara suggested. "It's the longest in the Northern Realm! I bet you'd get pretty far."

(Perhaps -- but, like, they ate breakfast together? And we're now on break and they're willingly hanging out together and bitching about a problem at their office?)(meanwhile a seatmate who is actually really chill is hungover af and sufferinggggg xD like he's being nice about it but at this very moment he's got his face in his hands leaning against the table hahaha)

"Oh?" Tadaaki looked at her in interest. "Is it not iced over?"

(Men are weird that way)

"In a few places, but the ice is thin so it flows underneath. It's only frozen over in the far north since it's so deep and wide."

(They really were. I watched all day because I am a slut when it comes to drama but there was exactly 0 between them. I’d almost gaslight myself into thinking it didn’t happen but it definitely did lol oh well glad they kissed and made up ig seeing as they’re coworkers haha)

“Hmm…” Tadaaki considered it for a moment. “Not sure how well my boats would fare under even a thin sheet of ice, what with balance and floating capacity and such… but it could be fun. Some day. Maybe. If the world ever calms down again.”

"Well, ideally you wouldn't be going under the ice. Just between the floes when they break up. It'd be fun, I'm sure."