The Landen Village of Gorby, Askavi, Kaeleer, Sunday, Fandom time.

[glacial_queen]

Warren was probably confused. At least, Karla hoped he was.

They were standing in front of a small cottage at the outskirts of a small, slightly ramshackle village that was most certainly not Halaway. When they had climbed into the Coach this morning, Karla had told him that they were going to see his surprise now--a surprise that she had very heavily hinted was going to be a pair of leather pants or two from Lord Aldric, the Hall's preferred tailor. And, in part, that was true! She had ordered him a few pairs and intended to give them to him once they were finished!

But that wasn't the surprise she'd mentioned a few weeks ago on their birthday.

Taking a deep breath, Karla turned to him, wearing her best 'unsure-but-game' smile and said, "Are you ready for that surprise then?"

And before he had time to answer, Karla knocked three times on the door.

There was a pause and then the door slowly creaked open, revealing a little girl standing just inside the doorway. Her hair was a little longer and she was a little taller now--her seventh birthday had been a few weeks past. But she was still recognizable as the little girl who had asked for a story in the ruins of Agio while blood and death reigned in the skies outside the building.

"Happy birthday," Cora said, giving them both a happy smile.

[For he who was lovingly modded and NFB, please.]

Comments

[wwiii]

"Oh my--" This was not at all what Warren had been expecting, no. But on a scale of one to ten, with ten being the leather pants and leather pants being the awesome end of said scale, seeing this particular little face again was very easily scoring at least a twenty. "Cora!"

Best weeks-late birthday present ever. And Warren was demonstrating that he thought just that by crouching down and holding his arms open. He was tempted to just scoop the girl up and spin in a circle with her, but after everything she'd been through at Agio, he also had enough discretion to realize that just snapping her up without warning was probably not the greatest of plans.

[had-a-birdie.livejournal.com]

"Warren!" Cora was missing a front tooth, now, and the air whistled a little as she spoke. She had no compunctions about throwing herself forward for a hug. "Are you surprised? Lady Karla said you'd be surprised! It's a good surprise, isn't it?"

[wwiii]

"It's the best surprise," Warren replied, punctuating that statement with the squeeziest hug he could manage without accidentally squishing her or something. "You're getting so big!"

He pulled away a little to get a better look at her, smiling brightly. There was surprise in his expression, yes, but also a lot of relief, too. Since leaving Agio behind, there had been a lot of thoughts that had followed him around. Wondering how the little girl that he'd befriended was faring wasn't remotely the least of those things.

[had-a-birdie.livejournal.com]

"I'm seven!" Cora announced. "We live here, now. It's far away from A--" her face darkened and her voice dropped. "From where we used to live, but Mama got a nice job sewing for a fancy lady in Doun. Mama can't walk so good, so I help. I am a very good helper," she added.

[glacial_queen]

Karla stepped forward and ruffled Cora's hair a little. "I believe you," she said with a smile. "Any girl as big as you're getting would be a very great help to your mama. Now then, would you two mind staying out here for a few minutes? I want to check in and see how your mama's doing while I make sure she's all right with my plans for the day. I wouldn't want her to worry."

[wwiii]

"I think Cora and I can handle a little time out here in the sunshine," Warren decided, standing up and grinning down at her. "I can tell her a short story or something while we wait. Unless she's learned some that she wants to share, instead?"

[had-a-birdie.livejournal.com]

Cora clung to Warren's hand and pulled him down to sit on the steps leading up to their small porch. "Do you know what Lady Karla is planning?" she asked. "Last time she was here, I heard her talking to Mama about the city, but I don't know what they were saying. I'm not s'posed to listen in on the Healing sessions, cause sometimes Mama cries and I get scared."

[wwiii]

And there Cora went, proving that it was entirely possible for her to keep breaking Warren's heart, little by little.

"I'm not entirely certain," he admitted, trying not to let that heartbreak carry in his voice. "This was a surprise for me, completely. I guess our activities for the rest of the day are going to get to be a surprise for both of us, huh?"

This already beat the pants off of the dolphin feeding.

[had-a-birdie.livejournal.com]

"I'm sure whatever it is will be lots of fun," Cora said, drumming her heels against the steps. "She said that she had a lot to live up to, cause of what you did for her birthday." Her smile went a little shy and she ducked her head. "I'm glad I'm a good surprise for you. Mama said I was probably imaginin' you, cause everyone knows that people don't have fluffy wings like yours."

[wwiii]

Warren couldn't help it. Back home, a statement like that would have caused uncomfortable squirming. Hiding. Here, on the other hand, he actually chuckled a bit, relaxing as he tapped a toe lightly on the ground in counterpoint to her drumming heels.

"Most don't," he replied, "but I promise, I'm not a figment of anyone's imagination. At least, not the last time I checked."

[had-a-birdie.livejournal.com]

"Nope! You're one of my very bestest friends!" Cora decided. "And Lady Karla, too."

Was it okay that she didn't like Lady Karla as much? She was very nice and had healed her and her mama and brought books and stuff when she came to visit, but...Lady Karla talked to her like an adult talking to a little kid. Warren talked to her like a friend.

"Do you have lots of friends, back where you live?"

[wwiii]

"I have a few," Warren replied, smiling at Cora after a moment taken to actually think about the question.

Not too long ago at all, he wouldn't have been able to say that. It was surreal, almost. Jarring, certainly, to realize just how much things had changed over the course of a year and a half.

"Not too many, but the ones that I have are all very good friends."

[had-a-birdie.livejournal.com]

"Who are they?" Cora asked. Yes, she'd be happy with just a list of names, even. "I don't have too many yet, because we moved here after...everything, and Lady Karla says sometimes people are super..." her brow furrowed as she tried to think of the word "...stitchin'? No, that's not the word."

[wwiii]

"Superstitious," Warren supplied, helpfully. "It just means that they're scared. But, you know, that's not always a bad thing. Maybe it just means that the friends you do make are worth that much more. Back at Fandom, I have Lady Karla, Bobby, Sookie, Bod, Wesley..."

It actually kind of surprised him when he realized that he could very well keep going.

... Huh.

[had-a-birdie.livejournal.com]

"Lady Karla said that you met going to school. Do you think I could go to school there sometime? And meet all your friends, too? I bet they're all nice." Some of those names were familiar. "Were they there? Back--there, I mean? I listened to some of the talking, sometimes."

Cora had a little bit of an eavesdropping problem. But that's what happened when you were only seven and no one told you anything!

[wwiii]

"Bobby and Sookie were, yeah." Warren bit his lip for a moment, eyes hitting the ground, and then he sighed a little. Oh, Agio. "And I don't see why you couldn't come to the island someday. I'm sure that my friends there would be happy to meet you."

He paused for a moment, and then glanced back at her, thoughtfully. "Does Lady Karla come here often?"

[had-a-birdie.livejournal.com]

Cora shook her head. "She's only been here a few times," she said. "She showed up almost two months ago and this is her..." Cora paused to count on her fingers, "...fourth visit. She said she had to find us. I guess she got lost. At first we left to live with Mama's sister in a different town, but she has lots of kids and her house was really small, so as soon as Mama was better, we moved here."

She patted the porch proudly. "We bought this out of the money the High Lord gave us when we left. We had enough to pay Mama's sister for letting us stay and to keep us going before Mama could work. But we were very careful with it, not drinking it away like some people did." That's what her Mama said happened, anyway.

"So the first time Lady Karla came, she found us and left some things for Mama, cause she's not perfectly Healed up right. And then the second time, she came and asked Mama if I could spend the day with you for a birthday surprise. And then she came back a few days ago and said she was sorry she hadn't been around much, but a friend of hers was sick and she'd just got back. And now today!"

[wwiii]

Yeah, Warren could definitely see how it would be easy for people to drink away that money. There would be so, so much to forget, and no way to really do so...

"I think," he said, pursing his lips and giving his legs another little kick, his toes scuffing against the ground as he did so, "if your Mama is okay with it, of course, that I might have to come and visit more often. I've barely even touched on the stories that I know from where I come from, after all."

[had-a-birdie.livejournal.com]

Cora hadn't laughed since Agio. But she came very close when Warren suggested that, clapping her hands and smiling widely. "Would you?" she asked. "I liked your stories! You could come when Lady Karla visits and tell me stories while she and Mama have their session. Could you tell me one now?"

[wwiii]

And that response had Warren breaking into a wide, silly grin. It was good to see her happy. Heaven knew she needed something to smile about, and if a few stories were what was going to do it for her, then he'd be more than happy to share.

"Of course I can!" He leaned forward a little, eager to pick one from his repertoire. He enjoyed telling them about as much as she enjoyed hearing them, after all. "What kind of story are you in the mood for today?"

[had-a-birdie.livejournal.com]

"I liked the one you told us before?" Cora replied. "The one with the princess? Do you know more like that one?"

It had been happy and pretty with no scary things and a happily every after. Cora could get behind that kind of story again.

[wwiii]

"Oh, I know plenty like that one," Warren replied, smiling faintly. "Actually, I know more than a few where the princess falls asleep. And there's one where the princess lives in a tower and grows her hair really long. Or the one where a girl falls in love with a beast..."

Really, Cora. Warren was not lacking in options. Especially ones of the Happily Ever After variety.

[had-a-birdie.livejournal.com]

"Is he kindred?" Cora asked. "Lady Karla's stories have lots of kindred in them. They seem like fun. I wish I could meet one one day."

And since they were on the topic of happily ever afters, of course Cora had to follow that up with, "Is Lady Karla like a princess?" She'd heard of Princes, of course, but not princesses, save that they were important to the stories Warren told her. "Are you two gonna get married and live happily ever after?"

[wwiii]

"He's not kindred, no," Warren replied, settling back a moment and readying himself to explain further before her other question thumped him on the side of the head like a sack of bricks.

"Um."

Never mind that he had no idea how to explain what a princess was in a world like this one. He blinked at Cora for a moment, a blush working its way into his cheeks. And then a little smile crossed his face.

"I think I might like to, someday," he replied, leaning in a little and stage whispering at her. It really wasn't a secret, after all. "But we have to know how the rest of the story goes before we know for certain. Those are the rules, you know."

[had-a-birdie.livejournal.com]

"Ooooh," Cora said, nodding wide-eyed. "What kind of rules? What story are you in? That's the story I want to hear! Please!"