65th of Ashan, 719
It ached to move her hand. Waves of pain laced up her arm in a way she had never felt before, worse was the itching. They had warned her about it, of things like phantom pain and infection but never before had she had a way to gauge it. It was impossible to soothe a finger that wasn’t there, harder still not to pick at the bandages to scratch at the fresh forming skin beneath. It was just as hard to keep Ashan from glaring at it but all Korva recalled was her pale face when she’d woken properly.
Now the girl stared at it like it was the only part of the Biqaj that was visible, “Stop that now, ain’t a big deal.”
“You’re fingers gone! How is that not a big deal?”
“‘Cause it ain’t gone forever.”
The girls eyes narrowed sharply, “Yes it is, when someones—something is gone, its gone. For good, you can’t just—ugh, why are adults so—“
The girl let out a cry of frustration that had Korva wrapping herself around Ashan then tugged her into her lap. At first she struggled silently before sulking into the embrace, a shiver running through her body and vibrating into Korvas. Quietly she held her before she spoke slowly, confidently as she pressed a kiss into the girls head.
“I ain’t going nowhere. Know yer scared,” The Biqaj paused, trying to be delicate, “‘cause ya got ideas but I ain’t go nowhere. Yer bracelet, tells ya don’t it?”
“…yes.” A whisper.
“And it ain’t saying I dying, U’frek ain’t take ‘em from ya twice, promise.”
“Pinky promise?” Ashan said, a note of reproach and teasing in her voice. A child struggling to behave like an adult.
“Ya can be mad, I had two.” Korva said smoothly, holding up her non-injured hand to wiggle the attached pinky that Ashan caught with more strength than anticipated. It almost made her wince at the sharp pinch it caused.
“Its a promise now. You promised so if you break it this pinky will fall off too.” There was a desperate warning in her voice that Korva had no idea how to soothe until she thought about her earlier words. Her gaze landed on her tools she had abandoned recently, not willing to waste wood in the dark of Cylus with Ashan being too chaotic lately. A grin spread on her features, bumping her nose to Ashans she waved a bandaged hand to them.
“Bring ‘em here.”
“For what?”
“We’re make new pinky.”
“What.” It wasn’t a question, her expression clearly exasperated but no longer clouded with worries too great for children, Korva grinned as she responded cheekily.
“Gonna make new pinky case I lose this one.”
She deserved the smack that followed her words even if she protested it with dramatics her ma would have hit her twice for.
Now the girl stared at it like it was the only part of the Biqaj that was visible, “Stop that now, ain’t a big deal.”
“You’re fingers gone! How is that not a big deal?”
“‘Cause it ain’t gone forever.”
The girls eyes narrowed sharply, “Yes it is, when someones—something is gone, its gone. For good, you can’t just—ugh, why are adults so—“
The girl let out a cry of frustration that had Korva wrapping herself around Ashan then tugged her into her lap. At first she struggled silently before sulking into the embrace, a shiver running through her body and vibrating into Korvas. Quietly she held her before she spoke slowly, confidently as she pressed a kiss into the girls head.
“I ain’t going nowhere. Know yer scared,” The Biqaj paused, trying to be delicate, “‘cause ya got ideas but I ain’t go nowhere. Yer bracelet, tells ya don’t it?”
“…yes.” A whisper.
“And it ain’t saying I dying, U’frek ain’t take ‘em from ya twice, promise.”
“Pinky promise?” Ashan said, a note of reproach and teasing in her voice. A child struggling to behave like an adult.
“Ya can be mad, I had two.” Korva said smoothly, holding up her non-injured hand to wiggle the attached pinky that Ashan caught with more strength than anticipated. It almost made her wince at the sharp pinch it caused.
“Its a promise now. You promised so if you break it this pinky will fall off too.” There was a desperate warning in her voice that Korva had no idea how to soothe until she thought about her earlier words. Her gaze landed on her tools she had abandoned recently, not willing to waste wood in the dark of Cylus with Ashan being too chaotic lately. A grin spread on her features, bumping her nose to Ashans she waved a bandaged hand to them.
“Bring ‘em here.”
“For what?”
“We’re make new pinky.”
“What.” It wasn’t a question, her expression clearly exasperated but no longer clouded with worries too great for children, Korva grinned as she responded cheekily.
“Gonna make new pinky case I lose this one.”
She deserved the smack that followed her words even if she protested it with dramatics her ma would have hit her twice for.
