December 14, 1182
Subdued did not suit Raia, or so Falidor had noticed over the past few months. Her toy-making business had dwindled throughout the first part of the year, and around June she'd called it quits as a business, though for the sake of a hobby she still whittled little figurines for her nieces and nephews for their birthdays (their own children, with the exception of Rio, were a little old now for most of Raia's specialties). With the loss of that focus, she'd been in somewhat of a rut--well, as much of a rut as Raia would allow for herself, but there was no denying she was the sort who needed to be busy--and of course that had only deepened when they'd received news of her sister.It was December now. Falidor's birthday had come and gone, Sev's was only a day away, then came Christmas and before anyone knew it, the year would be over. This one hadn't begun on the best note for the kingdom as a whole; he hoped the next could at least be a new start for Raia.
"Feeling all right?"
"I suppose." She shuffled over as he joined her on the bed. "Can I ask you something?"
"Of course.""If I had a new idea for an occupation, would you support it?"
Did she need to ask? He thought he'd been pretty open about his support for the toy-making... "You know I would."
"Even if it was... a little more ambitious than the toy-making business?"
He nodded. "Even if it was a lot more ambitious than the toy-making business."
"Even if I worked long hours? Probably longer than yours?"
"We'd make it work. I could take Rio to the castle with me; he could play with his cousins." Alina and Sev were old enough to be left alone for a while, and there was always the housekeeper.
"What if I was grossly unqualified?""Why not? I was grossly unqualified when I got my job." He wondered if her father had ever told her the story behind that--not that there was much of a story in some stranger randomly knocking on the door of the old new house and asking if anyone wanted a job.
"Actually, I think I'm still grossly unqualified for my job.""Don't be silly." But he thought he heard a bit of a laugh in the words. "But thank you."
He took her hand and squeezed it as their shared grasp fell to the blanket. He didn't see why she was thanking him. It shouldn't have been some grand gesture, not closing someone's doors. "Care to tell me about your big idea?"
Her eyes narrowed and her grin widened, black lashes contrasting white teeth. He knew that look. It was never a bad omen. "All right, try to keep an open mind..."NEXT CHAPTER:
7 comments:
Eh. I don't think Raia's the only one who's been in a rut lately.
Oi! Mean! Cliffhanger! xD
I wanted to know what it was! *sulks*
And what has that grossly unqualified Job to do with Ellona?
Friday night/Saturday morning. ;)
As for what this has to do with Ellona, there may be a hint in a previous post. That's all I'll say for now. ;)
It's nice to see Falidor again.
Oh, I think I know what this is about. If I'm right, I'm excited for this! It would get Raia out of her rut.
Yeah, it's been a while since we've seen the poor guy! But I guess that means his life has been mostly drama-free and happy these past years?
Raia is not going to have much time for a rut these next couple years... ;)
*singing* I know something you don't know ...
And no, I'm not telling what it is. ;)
But Falidor -- awwww. He's so sweet. I can't believe we used to call him "Faildor" ... he just needed a bit more time to come out of his shell (and to divorce that shrew he got tricked into marrying).
... The divorce was probably what killed the nickname.
However, I think he's a fine steward to Severin! He's been steward since, what, Raia was born? At this point, if he doesn't know what he's doing, he probably doesn't know how to tie his own shoelaces, either. And while we can accuse Falidor of many things, I think we would have noticed if his shoes were never tied. (Florian would have surely brought it up. Repeatedly. And probably tied them together while sneaking under the table at Seoth's bar.)
As for Raia's idea ... I can't wait. :D
Mwahahaha. :)
Yeah, the divorce sounds around time the nickname stopped. He was always sweet, but he's grown more assertive in his sweetness.
As far as anyone knows, Falidor is the only steward Severin has ever had. XD He wasn't a natural, but after all these years, yeah, he's really grown into the job quite well.
(And now I have to make Florian tie someone's shoes under a bar table. Maybe he can pick the wrong person to mess with, get himself locked in a broom closet, and Thetis can save him with her lock-picking skills? ;) )
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