Work Text:
To Marcia
+the girls
,
I hope things are going well with you three. I'm sorry to inform you but I'm going to need to extend my stay at the domes by about a week. Some difficulties have popped up regarding my inheritance and family records and other matters closely concerned with that. I'm probably still stuck at the line in front of the office as you read this letter, that's how bad it is.
I'll try my best to resolve things quickly over here but it'll still take me a week, at the very least. I hope the girls aren't missing me too much. I take it they haven't yet burned my house down, have they? Or stuffed firewood under my bed again?
But in all seriousness, I do understand taking care of two houses is a difficult job for you, Asha. Forgive me for any inconveniences this leave may have caused you.
If it'll make things any better, I won't be coming back empty-handed. As for what it is, it'll be a surprise. Thank you for waiting for me so much, I hope you make a good catch back there.
Make sure to give the girls a big hug in my stead. That's all.
Yours Sincerely,
Dino.
PS: If it's not too much trouble, could you please hire someone to shovel off some of the snow on my roof? I'm sure there's bound to be a hefty amount piled there, especially after that particularly gnarly flash blizzard that hit yesterday, and I'm worried some of it might leak into the house or break through a section of the ceiling. You know how it is.
I'll compensate you all for the trouble since I was supposed to do it myself today. Thanks again for taking care of my house for me.
"And that's all." Asha Marcia announced, lowering the letter so that the girls could see the elegant cursive and penmanship for themselves. "Dino has some really nice handwriting, don't you girls think so?"
"We can't read snakes on a paper, Mom." Lilla huffed, handing back the letter. Loxy nodded behind her.
The two had nearly jumped out of their skins when they received Dino's letter from the local post office, only to find that the inside was pure gibberish. Neither of them could understand a single word written on the letter, hence why their mother was reading it out for them.
"Now now, don't be such big babies." Their mother tutted at them, knowing that her daughters hated being called babies even more than boiled cabbages. "You two have just gotten too used to reading block letters. You'll learn how to read and write in cursive soon enough. It's not that hard at all."
"But Mooom!" Lilla pouted, obviously downcast at having to learn how to read 'snakes'. "Me and Loxy can already read so good! Why would we need to learn about wiggly lines too?"
"Because it's a part of your education." Their mother answered flatly, folding up the letter and letting the crisp, white parchment fall into her coat pocket. "And also because, as you get older, you will find that some books and papers are written entirely in cursive. How will you sell books to people when you don't even know what it is that's written in them?"
She sighed, extending a hand to caress her daughter's hair. "I'm not saying that you should start writing in perfect cursive immediately, I'm just saying that you need to be learned enough to know how to read the 'squiggles'."
The two girls didn't look to be satisfied with her answer but didn't argue any further, having understood the general consensus.
After a few heartbeats, Loxy was the first to speak up about what they were all thinking.
"So Uncle Dino won't be coming back today?"
"I'm afraid so." Marcia nodded softly. "That is what it says in his letter."
"But—But he promised! He promised us that he'd be back in a few days!" Lila forced out the words with more volume than was necessary.
"Yeah, Uncle Dino promised us he'd take us over to the next village where he goes to sell his stuff!" Loxy backed her sister, also feeling less than happy about his delay.
"And he will, you'll just have to wait until next week, when he comes back." Marcia rebuked them firmly. "Uncle Dino needs to be away to take care of some important work right now. He'll have time for you guys after he's finished. Simple as that."
She glanced toward the small pile of neatly cut logs arranged in a triangular pile atop the snow.
"Alright, that's enough talking for now. We need to get started on cutting and managing the firewood if we're gonna have enough kindling for two houses by tonight."
───── ⋆⋅.𖥔 ݁ ˖⋅⋆ ─────
The day before....
Dino looked over the letter once more, scrutinizing eyes scanning the parchment for any grammatical errors or lines that might need improving. Fortunately, he found none.
Satisfied with the eloquent penmanship as well as its concise contents, Dino gingerly inserted the folded letter into a manila envelope onto which the recipient address was written prior and sealed it. He considered calling for one of the many peons or a subordinate to have it delivered to the post office but hesitated, wondering if it were better for him to go to the post office himself.
In the end, he decided on the latter and was soon getting ready to leave for the office the moment his working hours were up.
It was true that his stay in the Central dome, initially a quick supervision check on his regiments' current condition, had to be extended for a short period of time purely due to how terrible of a job the Standing Captain they'd secured to temporarily take up his position was doing. So it was up to him to carefully consider and veto a new high officer to take up his position, until he returns for good.
The reason in the letter, however, was completely made up.
Of course he couldn't just reveal to Marcia and her kids that he held a prestigious position in the Valhalla Army at the drop of a hat.
He knew he wasn't obligated to tell them of his whereabouts but he always thought long and hard before making any major decisions, and this letter was no exception. It put his mind at ease, knowing that the others were informed of his prolonged stay inside the dome, and the same could probably be said for Marcia. It was always good to know that he'd just been detained because of heirship issues and wasn't on trial for execution for commiting treason or some other absurd allegations.
The moment his office hours ended, on the dot, Dino pushed aside the giant stack of papers piled on his desk, courtesy of the much competent Standing Captain, painfully taking note of the still morbidly large stack of paperwork yet to be looked over, signed and stamped, among other things. The menacing pile seemed to look bigger every other time he looked at it.
The prodigious Einheirjar stepped outside the finely furnished room that was too grand to be referred to as simply an office and headed straight for the exit. He received various looks of surprise ranging from mild confusion to outright shock from his subordinates and regiment soldiers.
He paid them no mind and simply strode past everyone, as if on some important secret mission that demanded his utmost attention and priority.
With barely a passing once-over, he immediately took note of the straightening of spines and the fixating of eyes onto their respective work stations, particularly among the junior officers. It certainly was a surprise for them to see their commanding officer out so early.
Undoubtedly, these were among those who displayed half-hearted and lackadaisical performances in both gruelling field training as well as repetitious and mind-numbing paperwork.
Normally, they would have received a sharp reprimand from him and maybe even an extension in their training periods, if we were feeling particularly under the weather. This time though, inexplicably, he wasn't feeling up to staying in here for a second longer than he needed to.
Dino felt a small, unintentional sigh escape through his nose. It seemed like his days of reforming of his regiment were being pushed further over and over.
The Valhalla Army certainly wasn't anywhere close to overturning itself or coming apart at the seams anytime soon, or even ever as long as Lord Odin were present to guide them. Regardless, Dino preferred to oil any invidious creaking joints and junctions he happened to come across.
No one tried to stop him from leaving (and why would they?) and he was standing in front of the post office in record time. After submitting the envelope and confirming the recipient address at the desk for the nth time (was it really that much of a surprise to be mailing a letter outside of the domes??), going so far as to having to personally talk with the branch manager, he was soon done and dusted with the letter business, having faced only a minor bump in the road.
"You're a commander in the Valhalla Army?" The manager squinted through the thick-rimmed glasses as he read the sender's information.
"Yes, I am." Dino gave a curt nod. "Are there any problems regarding this?"
"N—Not at all, Sir!" The manager blurted out as a thin sheen of sweat broke out on his forehead, an instant switch in his demeanor, gone from sharp-tongued and demanding to nervous and subservient. He beckoned to a junior staff beside him with the envelope.
"We'll get this mailed to, to uh—" He squinted again, obviously trying to figure out how to pronounce the foreign-sounding address written on the paper, with little luck.
"We'll get this delivered straight away!" He recovered quicker than expected, giving an exhausted smile to the prestigious commander sitting in front of him.
Dino smiled, sincerely thanking him for the guidance.
He'd say he did a decent job, considering this was his first time having personally mailed a letter by hand. Dino felt the need to reward himself for this and also because his mind had been reduced to a state of lassitude inside those walls and it demanded a change of scenery.
And so, Dino began to make his way to the central park. It was one of his favorite places to visit, both as a kid and in his later years. It struck him just now the magnitude of how much he'd missed seeing this hotspot of greenery and flora inside the domes.
There were those evergreen pines and firs to be found outside, sure. But most of the time, they were covered with layer upon layer of snow which, quite frankly, made them boring to look at. And besides, the thin and sickly-looking trees of the snow scape outside couldn't hold a candle to the tall, girthy cedars and other varieties inside.
A large, shady eucalyptus with a thick sprawling canopy stood in the centre of a grassy field, it's multitude of branches and foliage spreading outwards in a great display of beauty.
There were fewer people out today than usual, maybe owing to the fact that today was a working day. Still, there were a sizable amount of families out and about the green space, walking and jogging and chatting with friends or even strangers while the children played amongst themselves.
The central space was surrounded by newly polished benches along with a small fountain through which clear water gushed and flowed. The pure water sparkled under the artificial sunlight, the cool waves and ripples on the shiny surface enough to entice thirsty passersby to cup the liquid in their hands and quench their thirst, and Dino did just that.
Supposedly, the water was blessed by the Allfather's sacred emissaries, giving it healing and soothing properties. Whether that was true or not, Dino could feel his headache ebb and fade.
A great number of trees and shrubs were scattered throughout the park grounds, alongside flowerbeds which sported vibrant colors and gave off a variety of flowery scents and fragrances. Songbirds could be seen flitting about the greenery, some singing and searching for their mate and others looking for food.
And by looking for food, he didn't mean looking for worms and insects. He meant the birds taking stock of all of the people in the park in order to gauge and deduce whoever would give them the most food if they came down and acted cute for a bit.
Dino realized another thing he'd missed dearly: the birds. Here, the birds were always so bright and cheerful and colorful, considering it was always spring for them and food was beyond plentiful in this place. Dino sometimes wondered if these birds ever understood how privileged they really were.
Outside in the snowy mountains and plains, birds were a rare sight to behold as most of them had moved on to more habitable regions. And those that could be seen were mostly migratory birds in search of greener pastures.
Dino would always try his best to set up a good stop for them, where they could come down and rest their wings. He would buy the finest birdseed and worms to set out for them too, so that they could be well-fed and stronger for their next long stretch of flight.
They would always leave soon enough, but not before raiding all of the supplies he'd set out for them and sometimes, his things as well (Dino learned his lesson to always put out bird feed inside disposable alternatives after having a petulant goose fly away with his steel bucket in its beak).
Dino considered buying some feed and corn from the peddlers to give to the birds, one of his favorite activities being holding out a cupped hand and watching the birds eat straight out of his hand.
He immediately discarded this decision when he came across an obscenely fat robin sleeping at the base of a tree. He initially mistook it for some kids' lost ball.
He picked up the strangely warm ball, only to find a pair of tiny black eyes and a small beak peering up at him.
Dino, startled with this discovery, gingerly put the bird right back next to the tree. The robin looked to be more annoyed than scared of him, having been so rudely roused from his beauty sleep.
Dino didn't hold a shadow of a doubt that this feathered thing couldn't even jump, let alone take off from the ground. He recalled some years ago about a team of ornithologists trying to enforce people not to feed the park birds because of an 'Overfeeding epidemic' or something along those lines.
Clearly, no one had a mind to follow those rules and superfluous feeding was rampant. Dino shuddered to think how many more fauna were the same way as this obese robin.
Standing back up, he strolled over to a particularly dense line of trees a ways off. This part was also included in the park area, but people rarely ventured too far from the tree line because the place was practically a hazard in the shape of a dense forest. Consequently, it was also Dino's favorite place in the park.
The dense canopy filtered most of the sunlight so that it fell onto the rich dirt in small patches of light and dappled the earth with bright yellow.
A myriad of small animals and insects scuttled about into and out of their hiding places, sensing the disturbance caused by his entering the trees.
The trees really did grow almost side by side with each other, their thick trunks and miscellaneous branches leaving little room for a person to jostle their way through on the measley dirt trail winding through the hazardous woods. If not for the ubiquitous signposts, it wasn't hard to imagine someone getting lost in the thick of the trees after just a few steps in any direction.
There was also the danger of tripping over an exposed tree root and face planting onto rough tree bark, but Dino was highly cognizant of where and where not to place his feet with muscle memory alone.
Dino had lost track of time during his walk through the impromptu woods. The brilliant yellow freckled across the forest floor darkened to orange, signifying that it was high time for him to leave.
Dino walked out of the dense thicket and began to stroll through the town without any particular destination in mind, taking in all the sights and sounds and smells that it had to offer after being away for so long.
His boots crunched and squeaked over the pristine mosaic-and-cobblestone streets as he sauntered past bakeries from which tantalizing aromas wafted through open glass windows, bookstores with their best titles on display, woodworking stores where several men and women worked hard on producing wares of the highest possible quality, clothing stores and textiles and a variety of other services and businesses.
As the light from the sun faded to an orange hue behind him, Dino paused in the middle of his walk through the city, hesitantly stopping in front of a small, old-fashioned building. The wooden sign atop the doorframe sported the words Old Frair's Toys in heavy black paint inside a motif of a cartoonish looking yellow boar with the longest tusks he didn't think he'd ever seen on one.
There wasn't anything that particularly stood out about this near ramshackled building, and it certainly wasn't the first toy shop he'd come across today.
Before he could decide upon why he'd decided to stop in front of a children's toy store of all things, his feet started to make their way up to the door, taking the rest of him right along with them.
He found himself extending a hesitant hand to turn the old brass doorknob and stepped inside the shop, letting the door slowly swing shut behind him. A small bell attached to the door frame jingled a cheery melody, announcing the arrival of a potential customer to the old man sitting behind the cash counter, dutifully reading a newspaper.
It certainly was bigger than it looked from the inside. The entire place was awash in a warm buttery light emanating from several gas lamps lining the walls.
The first thing he noticed was how jam-packed the state of the shop was. Various toys of all manner were lined and arranged in the overstocked metal and wood shelves, organized by some kind of theme that only the owner knew—kites, sleds and flying toys in one section, things of various shades of blue in another.
Dino once again found himself on a steady advance towards the nearest shelf, completely ignoring the polite "Hello Sir, what may you be looking for?" coming from behind the counter.
Coming closer, he could now properly see just how much the shelves were stocked far beyond their recommended holding capacity. Dino could barely tell where one toy ended and another began.
Some toys he recognized easily, such as the colorfully decorated racing chariots and miscellaneous stuffed animals of all shapes and sizes, sporting a mix of cured and artificial colored fur. These too, were arranged either haphazardly or in some strange unknown theme he couldn't crack, with a giant chimera plushies being stocked alongside mini-tiger dolls with comically long fangs.
Others, like the one that had the bottom half of an octopus and, where the bulbous head was supposed to be, the neck and head of a miniature person attached on top, he couldn't make sense of. Others alongside it were equally as strange.
He spotted a miniature partly-realistic bear without a head and a gaping mouth in its belly, a small scissor that looked fairly normal but had the legs of a wooden doll in place of its handles, a plushie of a fish with four legs like a dog as well as an amorphous amalgamation of all of them combined with many other similar toys.
Over by the amalgamation of fur and plastic, he spotted a medium sized fluffy doll whose features he recalled ticked off nearly all of the physical criterion for the monster that Lilla believed to be lurking under her bed past bedtime in some strange coincidence.
Right next to it was a rather shapeless doll that almost looked to have its features running down its body in a show of some clever craftsmanship. Only one eye was visible, with the other being completely covered by what looked to be a lock of hair in the same color as the rest of its body, a deep inky blue and devoid of any other markings.
A small pink mouth was visible in an innocent, almost cute smile. It's single eye consisted of an embedded glass rounded to perfect smoothness, with an irregular light blue patch in the middle which he supposed to be the pupil. There might have been another eye behind those locks but Dino didn't check.
It looked extremely—what was that word again?—squishable.
Some, like the wooden bat painted to look like a cactus, complete with an innocent smiley face and sharp-looking spikes that he'd found out were completely real the hard way, seemed closer to being deliberate murder weapons than anything else.
Dino wondered who was even responsible for the manufacturing of such bizarre and irresponsible toys.
Looking around some more, Dino focused on the many decorations on the walls, majority of which were placards for advertisement purposes.
Posters of what Dino assumed to be various popular children's books characters lined the walls above many of the stocked shelves. Some looked to be brand new while some others were faded and peeling in more than a few places.
One of the posters Dino recognized as one depicting the main cast of his favorite childhood storybook, the one he'd read out to Loxy and Lila some time ago.
The colors and artwork of the poster were as resplendent and vibrant as the book itself, making it extremely hard to miss even if you tried to.
Though the reason behind his current actions was becoming more and more abstruse to his own self, Dino somehow found that he was wholly unperturbed by his seemingly peculiar actions. Somehow, his subconscious was taking the reins here and he was allowing it to, simply following along its whims.
Besides, what kind of grown adult would step into a toy store for no reason?
And why was he here anyway? It wasn't like he needed anything from here.
Except....
It took him a good few minutes to realize why he was carrying out such absurd movements so willingly. He looked through the catalog of toys and picked up a small toy soldier from a nearby shelf, all the while wondering why he was inside looking through such items in the first place.
Then and only then did his mind register the fact that he never actually considered what he'd be getting for Loxy and Lilla.
Yes, that's what it was all along.
He was looking for what he was going to get for the girls.
This elusive realization struck him so hard, he almost dropped the toy soldier in his hand with a startled gasp. He grasped and fumbled, trying to avoid having the small metal figure make contact with the floorboards while the old shopkeeper behind the counter looked at him in concern.
"Need any help there, young man?" The bespectacled old man asked, folding up the newspaper in his hands.
It took a moment for Dino to answer him, simply because his mouth refused to work when he told it to.
"N—no, sir. I'm still looking around, for a bit. Yep." His voice sounded more nervous than he liked it to.
The old man nodded, picking up his newspaper.
"Alright, feel free to tell me if there's anything ya need help with."
With that, he went right back to reading through the most boring politics section known to man, leaving Dino to sigh as he leaned on the shelf for slight support.
He'd been inadvertently avoiding his own thoughts for all this time. Thoughts of back out in the hellish snow scape, of Marcia and the girls, who were probably starting to wonder what happened to him.
He had written quite clearly in his letter that he was going to be bringing something back for them to make up for his delay, but not once did the thought of what exactly he would bring for them cross his frazzled mind.
Of course, he'd assumed that since there were still a good number of days left till his departure from the domes, he would have plenty of time to think about what or what not to get for them.
Initially, as he was jotting down that very line in his letter, he supposed that taking back a good amount of high quality venison along with some veal would be satisfactory for everyone. He might as well, since he was going to be purchasing some for himself anyway.
But somewhere in the corners of his mind, maybe he wanted to get them something a little more personal than just food, no matter how delicious it might be. Maybe he really wanted to put in more thought into his 'gifts' than he'd led himself to believe.
And that, he did. Dino skimmed through the entire catalogue of toys and also glanced at and across many of the shelves. Despite the building's relatively small size, the sheer stock of toys it held was nothing short of something to boast about. And he was pretty sure there were more items in storage somewhere.
Dino knew that he couldn't look through every single line of toys on every single shelf here even if he were to devote the remainder of his night for this. Not yet having found anything that struck him as either anything Loxy and Lila didn't already have (and/or broke) or something they would individually or collectively enjoy or maybe he just might be putting a little too much thought into this, Dino settled for his last resort: asking the old man behind the counter.
"Excuse me, sir—" Dino glanced at the rusty name tag pinned on the man's overalls. "Mr. Frair, I need some help picking out a few toys for—for my kids."
The aged shopkeeper nodded, taking a moment to read something before setting down the newspaper and turning his attention back to his customer.
"Reckon you didn't find anything worthwhile?" He asked, getting up from the creaky chair.
Dino nodded earnestly in response.
He handed him another catalogue from under the table and spread it out on the counter.
"Take a look at these, this is some of the newer stuff I got. Rich kids these days love this new-fangled stuff."
Dino wondered if he really came off as being rich to the common folk as he brushed through the pictures, prices and brief descriptions. The shopkeeper gave him a pencil to mark out anything that caught his fancy and gave an additional description of anything his gaze and pen lingered on before ultimately flipping over to the next page.
There were many interesting toys shown here, but he didn't think the girls would find particularly interesting or enjoy playing with them for long. He wanted to get them something good and new, something they could enjoy by themselves and with each other.
At about the last remaining pages of the catalogue, he paused, pencil hovering over the sorely familiar toy that had caught his attention.
It was a suit of polished full plate mail and helm, with a matching Knight's helmet on top complete with what the scant descriptions indicated to be an adjustable visor. Judging by the rough measurements listed beside each piece, it looked to be just the size of a child.
The metal had been ribbed in such a fashion that it was very strong, despite being pounded to incredible thinness to reduce its weight. Supposedly, by adjusting the straps and through clever design of the joints, it could continue to fit a child almost to adulthood.
He doubted that specific claim was true but he did feel certain that the suit, especially the breastplate and chainmail parts, were extremely flexible.
He wasn't too sure on what kind of metal it was made of just from seeing the print of it. But what Dino found to be most interesting about it was the fact that this armor was extremely similar to the one that a certain Knight in a certain colorful story donned.
The designs and carvings, the tiny splashes of color in-between chinks and moveable joints and even the smaller details, all looked to be an exact replica of the one depicted on one of the posters on the wall.
Dino didn't need to double-check to make sure. Reading that book out loud during the girls' bedtimes for one too many occasions had made sure to permanently sear the hues and drawings into his retinas.
"I take it this one has caught your eye?" The shopkeeper hummed, encouraging Dino to quickly circle the item. He returned the open catalogue, pushing it out towards Mr. Ray.
"I'd like to see the Knight's suit, please." He requested, referring to the one he'd circled mere moments ago.
"The one based after a book series, eh? It's quite a hit among the younger lads." Frair nodded before walking out from behind the counter and going out through a small door to the side that Dino, though a tad ashamed to admit, hadn't even noticed.
While he waited for the shopkeeper to return, Dino started to look over some of the items on the counter. Many of them were small, meretricious trinkets and jewels alongside overcomplicated sets to make your own.
There was one doll he recognized as one being very similar to one he'd had as a child himself. It was called the "Tiny Steam Man", and it had a hollowed space in its backside in which you would place a special candle and it would start pushing a wheelbarrow. Those used to be extremely fun to watch and race against each other.
This one was also like that, except it pulled a wagon instead of a wheelbarrow. Considering the tiny man's overalls pose, he didn't think it could balance itself without it in tow.
On the side, Dino spotted a jar with a collection of marbles, all in the dark color of midnight blue, with irregular splashes of bright yellow inside.
Curious, Dino took one out to study. He found that the marbles were filled with a deep blue liquid in which a collection of vibrant yellow glitter remained suspended. The designs formed by the suspended particles that had looked oddly familiar to Dino turned out to mimic the constellations in the night sky.
Dino figured that these would prove highly useful to the girls as they could not only play with them, but also expand their knowledge of the constellations: how to identify them and discern which is which, as well as how to use them to guide themselves to various locations, most importantly back home, if they were to ever lose their way somehow.
He knew that Loxy and Lilla wanted to learn for themselves how to adequately navigate using the sky, just like their mother and him. He remembered them having some trouble remembering all the various constellations, especially the seasonal and not so obvious ones.
Dino took out a handful and began to identify and cherry pick the ones he wanted to get, including all those which he deemed to be important for the girls to learn.
He hoped Marcia was more well versed than him at finding them because the last time Loxy and Lilla came over to visit his house along with some of their toys, he had spent the next couple of weeks fishing out the elusive stones from a variety of places, from between the couch cushions to the inside of his cooking pots and jars. He even found one lying innocently under the stilts of his house for heaven's sake!
He had just finished twisting on the lid of the jar when the nearly invisible door opened and in came the old shopkeeper, pulling along a wheeled sled onto which a child-sized mannequin stood adorned in the Knight's suit.
Dino arranged the marbles onto a safe spot on the counter so that they don't roll this way and that and straightened out his back as the man approached him with the requested suit in tow.
"Here's the suit you wanted." He grunted as he lifted it up off of the narrow trolley and made it to stand on the floorboards, taking great care to balance it. "She's a real beauty, eh? Just don't touch her too hard at the moment, so that it don't fall."
Dino paid heed to the man's cautioning and, aside from a few light touches on the helmet and attached scabbard, simply observed the metal suit. It looked like a one-to-one replica of the design shown in the catalogue, maybe even better looking in person.
He made some queries regarding the quality, durability and flexibility of the materials as well as its warranty period. The old shopkeeper dutifully responded to all his questions and doubts while also providing a quick user manual to go along with it since putting it on could prove a tad tricky for the inexperienced.
Finally, having enough assurance and confidence in his decision and also a bit of needless haggling, Dino closed the final deal for purchase of the Knight's suit. He felt proud of himself for choosing his first toy for the girls. Loxy would probably love this, given her adoration for Knights in shining armor.
Of course, this was only the first step into this brand new foray for puerile luxuries. He still needed to get something for Lilla. And considering her hyper fixation for dragons, it didn't take a sage to figure out what would bring a smile to her face.
Frair seemed to pick up that he wasn't done shopping for toys yet, which he brought up.
"Need something else from this old man's shop?"
Dino nodded in earnest.
"Yes, I do. Two things, actually." He clarified. "You see, one of the children is really into dragons. She likes them a lot, you see. Would you be having anything pertaining to dragons and beasts of the like?"
"Of course we do! We got a lotta stuff about dragons here." He boomed, lifting up a hand closer to his face to mentality list through some items.
"Hmm, let's see now...we have some dragon building sets, coloring books, painting sets..."
Dino waited patiently while the old man did a mental check-through of his stock. It didn't take him long to perk up, having settled on something good.
"I remember we still have a few mechanical dragon dolls in stock with us. They're a fair bit o' pricey, but the quality and fun is worth it. If you can afford it, of course." He added that last part quickly, almost slipping it in between a fake cough.
"Ah, that will be no problem at all," Dino smiled, shoving his annoyance inwards and out of sight. "If you could please show it to me...?"
"Of course, of course! One tiny dragon coming right up." He declared before disappearing through the same door as before, though he returned fairly quickly this time, a large box cradled in his arms. Judging by the way he held onto it, it must've been either quite fragile or heavy. With the way he tipped forward and almost lost his balance, it looked to be the latter.
Dino lent Frair a hand in setting it onto the countertop and unpacking it.
The actual box was inside the original box, both of which were stuffed with cotton for maximum cushioning. Whatever it was, Dino presumed it to be fragile as well if it required such intense handling. He wondered how this object would fare in the hands of a young girl who was locally renowned for not being able to appropriately control her own strength.
Having sifted through the cotton piles of both the boxes, the two men pulled out the article of interest: a mechanical dragon, around two feet in length. Dino had to question his standard for "tiny".
Dino didn't know what he was expecting when he'd heard the words "mechanical dragon doll", but it was definitely not this. This thing was much bigger than he'd thought and seemed like an excessively complicated piece of work to be just a simple toy.
The dragon was composed of many gears and cogs fitted together, all snug and tight and covered with steel plating. It reminded him of those clockwork dolls a bit, except those didn't even come close to the level of machinery stuffed inside this thing.
A strong plating covered up most of its internal parts and structures, a strong sheen of metal that was smelted and shaped into typical reptilian style scales and polished to perfection. As for the metals themselves, Dino could identify the tell tale bits of brass, copper and silver alongside many other alloys.
Menacing black claws, also thoroughly polished, seemed to almost gleam under the orange lights. Dino had no doubt they were sharp as knives, once again feeding into his doubt about this actually being some mad scientists' disqualified weapon of creativity.
It looked like a sturdy piece of work, that's for sure. According to the old shopkeeper, all the individual parts of its body were fitted and welded together in such a way that allowed for adequate range of movement of the limbs, torso, neck and head and even the tail, which was almost as long as the actual body itself.
"She's a real treasure, this one. One of my better works." The old man sighed, rubbing a finger along the cool snout before reaching down to wedge the mouth open, exposing the sharp teeth hidden inside. They looked to be fashioned to appear exactly like real teeth, coated with an enamel look-alike.
He could definitely see that being a hazard.
"This...looks really impressive." Dino admitted, digging a nail into the chink where one of its limbs connected to the torso. "But it's not what I was expecting, to be completely honest."
He knew full well that Lilla's reaction to such a thing perfectly pertaining to her hyper fixation could only be positive, he also wanted her to be safe and the last thing he wanted was for her or Loxy to get hurt while playing with their new toys, also making it his fault.
"I get that a lot. With most of my stuff."
"This looks extremely modern. And uh, a bit hazardous?" Dino glanced at the dragon's open maw before fixing his gaze back to the shopkeeper.
The message was clear and this probably wasn't his first time hearing that particular statement from concerned parents. Without a word, he reached over to the side, grabbed an idle screwdriver and went to work on parts of the dragon that needed some additional touches.
After only a few moments, he straightened himself up and put away the screwdriver and spread out all the parts that could prove dangerous onto the countertop before then. Dino could see the upper and lower linings of teeth, multiple gleaming claws as well as the two horns on top of its head, which clearly took inspiration from those of some species of Bovidae, though which one Dino couldn't guess yet.
"Anything else?" Frair asked, sounding bored.
"Hmm." Dino hummed, taking another good long look at the dragon with both his eyes and his hands.
After a while, he asked: "You said this thing can move?"
"That, it does." He gave a small nod.
"How exactly does it do that?" He asked, looking back at the old man with an inquisitive look. "I don't see any buttons or switches on it or anything that can make it do something."
Dino wasn't expecting the old man to reach into the box and, after a bit of scrambling and searching, pull out a pile of papers that rivalled even a few of the stacks on Dino's own work desk.
"What's all this?" He asked, extending a hand to flip and study the top page.
"It's a manual." The old man said with a flick of his head. "Of this li'l beauty right here."
Dino couldn't believe his ears, nor his eyes. There was no way a single toy required THAT big of a user manual. He was starting to wonder if this really was a toy or some other illegal contraption, not yet regarded as safe to use for the general public by the appropriate authorities. And especially not for young children who could barely keep a regular stuffed doll intact for more than a month.
But the manual did prove to be a big help. Dino thoughtfully went through it, skimming over important sections regarding its general use, method and recommended duration of usage, energy requirements, handling and safety, maintenance and upkeep, with Frair giving a more concise and easier explanation of the text.
He also practically showed him how to move the dragon via the control panel (which seemed quite complicated to Dino, what with all the buttons and joysticks and switches) and guided him through the cleaning methods.
There was even a requirement to wind up all of its individual limbs as well as the neck by inserting a removable lever into the holes covered by concealed lids on each of the above mentioned joints. And the winding took a long time and had to be repeated multiple times.
By the end of this little demo, Dino could accurately conclude that this toy was a whole lot of work for something that was just supposed to be a toy. More time and effort was spent on its preparation and upkeep than actually playing with it. This was actually unbelievable. Dino made sure to express all of his thoughts to him.
"This is a rather complicated toy, I admit it. But it's plenty unique and awesome looking, don't you agree?"
While he himself didn't, Dino definitely knew someone who did.
After multiple confirmations of this specific article having broken exactly zero public and child safety regulations (somehow?), Dino settled on the final purchase. Dino was fairly certain it had to cost a fortune, though it had to be a given considering how much material was used in it's creation.
Regardless, he had a toy secured for both Loxy and Lilla each, both of which were currently being slowly but carefully repackaged by the shopkeeper.
All that was left now was something both of them or even multiple people could enjoy at the same time. And Dino had a pretty good idea of what to get for that.
"Do you have any puzzles here?" He asked the man while he packaged the purchased items.
"Preferably at least 500 pieces. And of good quality." He added.
"O' course I do." He grunted a reply before walking out from behind the counter and motioning for him to follow. He led Dino over to a section near the back of the shop, one he hadn't come close to exploring, where an array of numerous puzzle boxes of all kinds lined the shelves.
"Pick out whatever takes your fancy." The man offered. Dino browsed through the various options, looking for one that met his standards. He particularly liked all the ones with scenic views.
It didn't take him very long to pick one out. It was a scene of a meadow filled with wild flowers sporting an array of dazzling colors, a sight he wasn't sure the girls had ever seen in their short lives. Hopefully they could, later on. Some day.
"Can I open this box to check something?" Dino asked cautiously, not wanting to do anything that wasn't allowed by the old man.
"Sure, go ahead. Just do it neatly and try not to break anything."
Dino took out one of the pieces from its Ziploc bag, gently squeezing the upright pieces between his thumb and index finger, testing the thickness of the piece. The thin wood came close to bending with hardly any force. Sure enough, the material wasn't thick enough.
He relayed this concern to the shopkeeper, who helped him pick out another puzzle of the same kind but with thicker pieces. Content with the much better quality and sturdiness of the pieces, Dino decided on which one he wanted to buy. He was aware what havoc these girls could wreak on anything that proved remotely fragile.
This new puzzle was similar to the one he'd picked out before, but with some flowers being different shades and colors though the overall scenery was largely the same.
"I'll take this one." He politely told the shopkeeper, though Frair had already gone off to the front of the shop to his counter.
When he was presented with the final bill of his purchases, Dino had to hold back a choking sound. The numbers were much, much higher than what he'd expected. As if reading his thoughts, the shopkeeper gave a mirth-filled laugh.
"The knight and dragon are quite expensive, ain't it?"
Dino eyed their individual prices and sure enough, the puzzle set and marbles couldn't afford to hold even a candle to their numbers.
"These are..." Dino started, lowering the laminated paper from his face.
"Very expensive." The shopkeeper finished for him. "Should've known that as soon as you saw the dragon move. Though all things considered, I'd say you're getting enough yelp for your Yera."
Dino had no choice but to agree with that.
The amount written here was nowhere close enough to making a paltry dent in his account, owing to his generous salary, but it was still enough to make him reconsider.
Regardless of any second thoughts, Dino had to acquiesce and agree to the purchase. This was the first (and maybe last) time he was buying gifts for them, so it made perfect sense that he wanted to get them nothing but the best he could find. And he couldn't recall the last time money was an exiguous resource for him.
Leaving behind his contact information and an advance payment, he promised the old shopkeeper that he'd be sending someone to pick up the items and leave the rest of the payment.
Now, Dino just had to pick something out for Asha Marcia. He would make sure to get her something she'd really like.
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Dino was, in completely honest terms, as clueless as a bat in a welding factory about what to get for Marcia's gift. He couldn't just get her any old item as a gift. No, he needed to think long and hard about it.
And think he did, and managed to come up with some reasonable options and no, it did not take him a whole sleepless night to come up with it. Absolutely not.
Dino knew that Marcia was a woman of action and hard work, as well as passion in whatever she was interested in. So naturally, she'd desire something practical, a useful article she could make use of and keep using well throughout its intended time. Anything that could get discarded quickly or near immediately was out of the question.
It could be a new set of cookware or cutlery, a knitting and weaving kit, new hunting gear or even some general artistry tools and the like for her to work on her latest hobby she'd picked up on, that is sketching and painting.
He systematically crossed off the possible options on the list he'd laid out for better clarity of mind.
Going through the list, carefully checking off options for various reasons, he managed to settle on a decision for what to get her.
This seems to be good enough, Dino thought to himself as he quickly stuffed the mostly crossed-off list into his pocket before dashing out through the door.
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The great doors slowly creaked shut behind him, always so leisurely and ominous. The vast room was still the same as always: dark and the enormous space stretching on for such distorted lengths that even with his enhanced vision, seeing the end was nigh impossible.
Lord Odin sat in His throne, basking in the only illuminated spot in the otherwise pitch black space. He had His eyes closed, though Dino knew that whether they were open or not didn't affect His divine capabilities in the slightest.
Dino strode over to his usual spot, taking great care to walk softly over the soft carpet like always and kneeled, lowering himself in respect for the Allfather's presence.
"I am at your service, Lord Odin."
The words sounded strangely hollow to his ears.
Silence pervaded the darkness as well as the space between the two men, the only sounds being the fluttering and flapping of a raven's wings from somewhere high above them.
His legs had long since gone numb from the compromised circulation before the Allfather spoke out.
"You're late." He was presented with only a concise declaration, pointing out his delay in arrival.
"I have no excuse." Dino was quick to admit his shortcomings. He tried his best to keep a level and flat voice, despite the accelerating thumping in his chest.
"I don't expect you to." Odin said, choosing to open his eyes to peer down at him, his gaze stoic and stern. "You were never tardy in any meetings before, so why the change? Don't tell me you've gone soft under all that snow."
"I have shunned in my duties and I have no answer to your question." Dino responded, lowering his head even further to the point he could feel the tendons in his neck stretching.
"Please forgive this humble servant of his lateness. I swear on my status you will never see me late again."
"Hmph." Odin scoffed after the span of a few heartbeats (in Dino's case, more than a few actually) and shifted in His throne so that He was now sitting straight up.
"No matter. Get up now."
Dino immediately sprang up to attention.
"Skip these pleasantries and inform me of your findings, Einheiri. How is Asha Marcia? And has there been any progress with her daughters?"
Dino produced a small brown folder containing his cumulative reports from inside his uniform and presented it to the Allfather, holding out his hand up towards Him.
"This is all the information I have gathered and compiled about them. From her trade routes and billing history to the girls' developmental progress." He explained.
In a flash of blue light, the folder was gone from his hand and into Lord Odin's hands. He tore open the brown exterior and scanned through its contents while Dino waited dutifully in front of him for his dismissal.
"How very lacking of her." Dino heard the Allfather comment during his read-through, gloating at the small stack of papers in his hands. "An ordinary life doesn't suit her at all."
After a while of reading, Odin lowered the report and fixed him with a piercing look, raising an eyebrow.
"I still expect an answer to my questions, Dino. Well?"
"Of course, Lord Odin. Marcia is still at her attempt to live like a human and is doing quite well. She trusts me completely. I've gone to great lengths to ensure my identity isn't compromised. And as for the girls, Lilla and Loxy—" Dino paused, the words momentarily sticking to the back of his mouth and throat.
"There has been no progress with them yet." Another pause.
Why does this feel so wrong? Dino thought to himself, feeling a bead of sweat sliding down his temple.
How long will I have to keep lying to the Allfather about this? Why am I lying to Him?
"They still haven't shown any signs of development, though one of them, the older one, does promise exceptional quality."
Why did he need to talk about them as if they're mere objects?
"It might take more time for them to mature."
Odin fixed him with a hard gaze, narrowing His eyes the more he spoke. Shortly after Dino was done with his oral report, He gave a slight sigh and sunk back into His throne once more.
"I expected a lot more from them, especially with them being Asha's brood. Nevertheless, it's the quality that matters, above all."
The Allfather closed His eyes again and gave a small wave of His hand, signifying the Einheiri's dismissal.
"You may leave. I've had enough of this." He declared firmly. At the end of the hall behind Dino, the great doors creaked open again.
Uttering an obsequious valediction, Dino turned to leave the room, only to immediately turn back around with the mention of his name.
"Dino."
"Yes, Your Majesty?"
"Dilatoriness will absolutely not be tolerated a second time. Remain punctual in your duties. That is all."
And with that, Dino quickly marched out of the throne room to retire back to his quarters, where he'd reside for the remainder of his brief time at the Central dome. It was a good day outside in the domes and his heart felt heavier than ever before.
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"They're really enjoying themselves out there, aren't they? It's great to see them playing like this." Marcia observed the two girls from the living room window. Loxy and Lilla were outside in the snow, totally engrossed in playing with their latest toys Dino had brought them just the day before. They were all over him like a pair of hungry geese the moment they spotted him lugging a large box on a sled to their house.
"Yep! I'm glad to see they like what I got for them. You wouldn't believe how much I was second guessing myself." Dino admitted, not lying to her this time.
"Oh come on, they're kids. Of course they'll like any and every toy they get. But I was wondering something." She paused, turning back to look at Dino, who tried his best to keep a straight face. He knew what she was about to say and he'd been anticipating this all morning.
"About what you got for them." She clarified. He pretended to look puzzled.
"Hm? What about them? I didn't...do something wrong here, did I?" He made himself out to sound hurt, just for added measure.
"No, it's—it's not that!" Marcia was quick to placate his worries. Dino guessed she was feeling unsure on how to approach the topic. "It's just that the uh, the toys you got for them. The dragon and the suit."
He tilted his head in the universal sign for inquisitive confusion.
"Frankly, they look like they're quite, expensive."
Boy, isn't that the understatement of the year!
"So I was simply wondering how you managed to get them. And they look brand new too." She spoke slowly and carefully, her eyes alternating between his face and the cup of hot tea in her hands.
"I'm not accusing you of anything, of course!" Marcia exclaimed, almost fumbling over her words as she tried her best to speak her worries. "But it's just that, I just...can't help but be aware of your financial situation, especially after you've spent so much money on getting that temporary dome pass. And I would hate it if you put yourself into a—a bad place just to—"
Oh well, it's not like he wasn't expecting this to happen sooner or later. Might as well get it over with.
"Yeah, you're right about them being expensive. The market rate for them is crazy, but I actually managed to get these nearly for free."
That got her attention.
"Really? How so?"
"A relative I used to be extremely close with back in the domes works in the manufacturing industry and is an extremely talented artisan of children's articles. He had these set aside for some clients but they didn't go through with the purchase so they were just sitting around for a long time with him."
"Ooh, sounds like your family has some nice connections in the domes."
"I wish we did." Dino shook his head before continuing. "So when we broached that topic and I told him about Loxy and Lilla, he practically handed those to me and told me that they were just going to waste away in his workshop. I checked, of course, and they were kept in excellent condition so I accepted his offer."
"Sounds like you got a hel of a deal." Marcia commented, sounding impressed, before gulping down the now-lukewarm tea.
"I really did, didn't I?" He agreed, reaching out for his own teacup. The beverage, which had been steaming hot mere minutes ago, was now hanging on the very cusp of being considered lukewarm. "I did buy all the other stuff, though."
"But you know, Dino, I'm quite hurt that you got so many things for the girls and didn't care to bring anything for me..." She trailed off, eyes closed and head lowered in mock disappointment.
"Oh, come on!" Dino exclaimed, jerking out his hand and almost spilling the cold tea all over his legs. "You know that's not what happened! I just forgot to bring it out with me yesterday."
"I know, I know!" She snickered, giving him a playful smile. "Just thought I'd tease you about it a little more."
"Please don't." Dino sighed, before reaching into the fur skin bag lying by his side on the floor. "Speaking of which, I have your present with me right now."
"Oh, do you? I wonder whaaat it is. I sure hope it's definitely not anything like a coat or anything." She stated in a sing-song voice while he dug through his belongings. Dino frowned, raising his gaze to stare up at her.
"Really? At least pretend to be surprised, will you?" Dino huffed, referring to what happened the day before when he'd announced about her present being a brand new coat before finding out he didn't have it on him. He began digging through the newly harvested pelts in his bag with slightly more vigor than before.
"Ah, found it!" He announced, holding up the neatly wrapped package out of his rucksack. He stood up and handed it over to its recipient.
"For me? Thank you so much, Dino." Marcia exclaimed, looking a little too happy for someone who was just receiving a simple gift. "I'll make sure to wear it a lot."
"Don't mention it, just thought you'd need it when you go out." Dino smiled, watching her painstakingly unwrap the packaging, being careful not to damage the gift paper.
A small yellow card with a simple message of "For Asha" scrawled in blocky lettering fell out from between the many folds of paper and plastic, similar to the ones found in the girls' presents.
It took a while but she eventually managed to slip the Ziploc with the coat inside out from the needlessly convoluted packaging. Dino watched expectantly as she took out the jacket and rolled the warm, brand new material between her fingers and performed the standard checking of quality. Though Dino knew she'd find no faults or flaws in it, he'd made sure of that before buying it.
He recalled her complaining a few times about the huge tear in her preferred coat, rendering the material unusable. She'd received it some time ago in the last giant attack during one of their treks to a neighboring village for trade.
Of course, she did have a fair few spares lying around but he figured she would appreciate some new winter wear.
He went to the same store he used to buy his own winter gear from before moving out since he'd judged their products to be of a higher quality than most other brands.
He picked out one that provided better mobility and more protection without being too heavy. Also a hood and some additional woolen gloves and caps to top it all off and also to ensure none of your extremities fall off from frostbite. That was always a definite plus.
Marcia was now trying it on, having slipped out of her indoor sweater and pulling on the new one.
"How does it look?" She asked once the last button was done up, standing with her arms slightly spread out to better show off her new attire. Dino noticed she hadn't yet buttoned up the ends of the sleeves.
"It looks good on you." Dino answered, not feeling like it was a lie at all, unlike how he'd felt back in the Allfather's palace. "It feels quite warm too, right?"
"Of course! It feels incredibly toasty in here. A little too toasty, in fact." She replied with narrowed eyes, unbuttoning the top button near her collar.
"I'm glad you find it to be good. I was worried about the quality of the materials."
"Oh, you won't have to do that anymore. This is so much warmer than all my other coats, it's actually a little crazy." Marcia admitted. "Where did you get this from? I don't see any brand tag on the neckline. And this seems too good to be from a local shop."
It was a good thing he'd pulled out the brand tags beforehand, and also switched up the packaging from the stores' fancy one to a regular Ziploc bag.
"I did buy this from a shop in the domes but it wasn't a brand store." Dino said, shrugging. "I'm pretty sure it was just a local chain shop, though that is where a lot of my relatives used to buy their winter gear from."
"Really? That sounds like a great place to shop for necessities." She said, fiddling with the buttons on her open sleeve though she didn't seem to want to button them up just yet.
Satisfied with all his persuasive answers, Dino settled back into his chair and started nibbling on a piece of dried jerky. He wasn't expecting her next words to make his blood run cold.
"Hm, what's this?" Marcia hummed, pulling something out of her sleeve. "Hey, I think I found a brand tag!"
Dino almost dropped his jerky as well as the cup.
"You...found a tag?" He gulped, not wanting to believe his ears though his eyes had already spotted the small piece of soft paper in her hands.
The realization that womens' winter wear had an extra tag attached to the inside of their sleeve just now struck him like a brick wall, and Dino had to mentally facepalm at overlooking such a stupid detail.
Ohhh , dear Lord...
"This says here it's..." She paused as she read the tag, squinting as if she had trouble understanding what it read. Meanwhile, Dino desperately tried to keep a straight face.
It's alright, maybe she won't know what company the tag belongs to or something. Yeah, he still has a chance!
"Hey, isn't this the name of that really big store in the Central dome?"
....He might have spoken too soon.
"Dino, did you know about this?" She finally looked up from the coat to meet his eyes. Dino only looked at her from the corner of his eyes as he tried his best to feign ignorance.
"What? Which store does it say it's from? And I didn't know there was a tag there." Well, at least he wasn't completely lying there.
But how could she know about it? Commoners and middle class folk couldn't so much as look at their wares, much less get to buy them.
Marcia read the tag out loud.
"I know this one, it's a very pricey brand name that not just anyone can afford!" She took it off and held up the tag again to show him.
"Dino!" She exclaimed, fixing him with a piercing stare and almost making him fall out of his seat. He could feel beads of sweat collecting on his forehead, prompting him to open the buttons of his light jacket.
"Y-Yes?" He responded nervously, unable to hold off the tremble in his voice.
"Do you realize what this means?" Marcia said almost in a secretive whisper, now leaning forward in her seat, fingers steepled together and gaze never faltering.
"...I don't believe so?" Dino said with a small laugh as he tried to come off as casual and clueless. "What does it mean?"
Marcia looked absolutely beside herself with shock, jaw hanging slack as if she couldn't believe the words coming out of his mouth.
"Are you serious?!" She yelled, suddenly standing up from her chair, finally having picked her jaw back up and marched towards Dino, coat in hand.
She stopped right in front of him and Dino leaned as physically far back in his chair as he could manage, his face stiff in a mixed expression of fear and totally real cluelessness that is totally not fake.
Calm down, relax, she has no proof of anything yet!
"It means—!" She thrust the jacket right into his face, making him inhale the scent of fresh pine, a signature of this particular brand. "—that you just got your hands on a huge steal!"
Dino had a bit of trouble wrapping his head around her words, so it took him a few seconds until he could respond and some more until he could get his mouth to move the way he wanted it to.
"Come, come again?"
Marcia looked to be ecstatic, what with the sparkles in her eyes as she whirled around the room while holding onto her new article of clothing.
"You paid what, a few thousand Yera for this baby?" She shook it in front of his face for emphasis. "I can tell, it's a lot different from what they sell here, or even in the other domes for that matter. This is most likely the real deal."
Dino now understood that Marcia had completely misunderstood all of this and he was, quite frankly, much too relieved for this specific turn of events. He was glad to not have a "So you're secretly rich?" bomb dropped on him at least.
"Whoever and wherever you got this thing from probably tried to sell you a knockoff and didn't expect to hand you the real thing. I know a good knockoff when I see one and trust me, this isn't one. And it also looks like it's been tampered with around the neck." She pointed at the neckline from where Dino had pulled out the brand tag, thinking he'd done a satisfactory job of it when clearly he hadn't. She talked like a true connoisseur of shopping at marketplaces and Dino could at last breathe a sigh of relief.
"Ahaha, I guess it was a pretty shady marketplace..." Dino gave a nervous laugh, averting his eyes to focus on the cloth in her hands. "Good for us, I suppose?"
"Oh, it's very good." She breathed, flashing him a thumbs up. "I always say shady marketplaces are the best when it comes to pricing. You just have to avoid getting robbed or whatever while you're there." She gave him a knowing wink. "I've gotten pretty good at dealing with those pesky pickpockets there, if I do say so myself."
Of that, Dino had no doubts.
Now that the harrowing part of the day was over, Dino could finally relax and eat his jerky again while Marcia sorted the coat into her wardrobe.
He wasn't too happy with himself for such a major oversight on his part but since everything worked out in his favor, there was no harm done overall, right?
Wrong!
Sure, nothing too untoward happened and he didn't give her evidence of anything that could serve to compromise his identity, but this incident could possibly allow for seeds of suspicion to sprout in her mind. Maybe not today nor tomorrow, but he was sure he'd just royally fucked himself over in the long run.
There was also no use for crying over spilt milk so the only thing he could do now was to be more careful next time. Though he'd already resolved to not get anything else out of the domes, since that would make him out to be a little too suspicious.
Before Dino could mentally beat himself over this situation even more, they heard the door to the room swing open and slam into the wall with the force of its opening, quite possibly denting the wood.
"Lilla? What's wrong?" Marcia asked, surprised by her daughters' sudden entrance and also by the nervous expression on her face. "Weren't you playing outside with Loxy?"
"Did anything happen? You look pretty down." Dino followed up, watching her stalk across the room towards him. She stopped just short of ramming into his knees and stood in a defiant stance, not unlike his own troops when ready to march into battle.
The seconds on the wall clock ticked by as the girl and him stayed locked in this standstill of a staring contest. Sensing the unease emanating off of her, Dino was the first to speak up.
"Is...something wrong? With the way you're staring at me, anyone would think I stole your lunch money." Dino tried to keep the mood light, but he could tell she was still nervous when she began pulling at the hem of her jacket.
"Uh, noth—nothing's wrong. But," She paused, taking in a deep breath as if trying to prepare herself for something. "I wanted to—"
Another pause followed by a shaky breath. Boy, whatever it was she wanted to tell him had to be something major.
"It's—It's just that, I wanted to be able to write like you..." Lilla frowned, her voice going uncharacteristically quite to get the last three words out.
"Write like me?" He wondered out loud.
"Like how you did in your letter!" She added quickly. Dino could hear the sound of paper crumpling inside her pocket, the one in which her hand had been the entire time she was in the room. She fixed her gaze downwards on the floor.
With lightning speed, she tore a small sheet of paper out of her pocket and dropped it into his lap. Dino gingerly picked up the crumpled paper and began to open it, all the while Lilla stood there with her hands clutched behind her back as if waiting for his verdict.
Ahh, so that was it. He thought to himself as he scanned the white sheet. It was a thank-you letter of sorts, filled with shaky cursive thoroughly lacking in the intelligibility department written in bright red ink. No wait, it was red sparkling ink.
Though words were far from the only thing to be found on the page, what with the edges of the paper meticulously decorated with multiple drawings of clouds and stars with smiling faces and animals(?) and something that he could tell was supposed to be a dragon. Everything was drawn up in a different color of pastel crayons and it overall looked like a child's arts and crafts project.
"Loxy and I made all the drawings, though I was the one who wrote all of it." She explained, sounding slightly more upbeat. "So, what do you think?"
Dino focused hard on the words. Though it was difficult to differentiate one letter from another, it wasn't entirely unreadable and he could make out about half of it.
But the more he squinted, the more Lilla's face fell.
"I tried really hard to make it look nice, but I don't think I did it all that well—" She broke off, her voice sounding strained, a sound so foreign to his ears.
"And you will."
Lilla looked up at his words.
"What?"
"I said, you will be able to write in cursive however you want to." He assured her as he cast another look at the crudely written letter in his hands. Though he couldn't make out all of what it said, he could very well extrapolate and even if he couldn't, it was clear that the girls had poured all their effort and love into making it for him.
"You said you wanted to write like me, right?" His gaze left the paper to meet hers, as if asking for clarification. Lilla nodded.
"Y—Yes."
"Well then, I want you to consider this: I've had years to practice and perfect my handwriting, something you don't have yet. No one's perfect at anything right away, after all. And, considering you've been practicing for only a few days," He reached out a hand to ruffle the top of her hair.
"I'd say you're already doing pretty nicely. Keep practicing, and you'll get the hang of it eventually. I know it." He folded the letter and slipped it into his coat pocket.
"I will?" Lilla looked to be more cheerful after his reassurances.
"Of course," Dino chuckled. "How about next time you two study, I'll come along and tutor you two along with your mother, maybe give you and Loxy some pointers on how to write. What do you say?"
He shot a quick glance to Marcia for approval, who nodded in agreement. They'd work out the finer details between themselves later.
"That sounds great!" Lilla cheered, already having brightened up.
"Good. And speaking of Loxy..." He turned his head towards the doorway, spotting a flash of silver quickly receding to the side.
"You can come out now, Loxy!" He called out.
For a moment, there was nothing. Then slowly but gradually, a small figure clad in armour plating stepped out into the doorway of the living room.
"Did you figure out how to wear your suit by yourself?" Dino asked, his tone encouraging as he tried to coax her into coming inside. She didn't respond. It was difficult to see what kind of face she was making under the closed visor, but judging by her body language Dino could tell she was feeling nervous, similar to Lilla.
"She sure did." Marcia chimed in when Loxy hadn't answered. "I offered to strap it on for her this morning, but she insisted she do it on her own. She wouldn't even let me put on the visor!"
"I see." Dino nodded, turning his attention back to the nervous knight. "Why don't you come talk to us about whatever's bothering you, Loxy?"
"I-I, uh," She stuttered, feeling uncertain of how to say it. "I..."
"You...?" Dino nodded, encouraging her to go on.
"I, I think I...broke...it."
"Broke what?" Dino could hear her audibly gulp.
"The suit." Her voice trembled as she blurted out. "It's not staying on anymore. I—I don't know how it happened, but I think I broke some of the straps."
As if on cue, the entire right side of her suit sprang open, and she sounded like she was close to bursting into tears. Marcia started to quickly get up, but Dino stopped her.
"Let me take a look." He offered, already kneeling in front of the distressed girl and fiddling with the straps on her left and backside.
It didn't take him long to figure out what was wrong. It wasn't that the straps were broken (Dino was close to thinking he'd gotten scammed by Frair), rather they were just buttoned up in the wrong places.
Dino soon had the suit fixed and both Loxy and Lilla, now relieved from their immediate worries, returned back to their playtime outside in the snow.
They were once again role-playing another game of Knights and Dragons, this time with more immersion.
"I swear, it's always something or other going on with those girls." Marcia said with a roll of her eyes, shortly followed by a giggle. "Sometimes, I wonder how empty this place would be without them."
Dino thought back to his house, both the one in this village and the one in the domes. He thought back to how empty they both seemed, and how lively this home was for him.
"Yeah, it would be really empty indeed." He admitted, watching the two shoving each other into the fresh mounds of snow, roleplay all but forgotten and followed promptly by a snowball fight.
He shifted in his seat and felt something digging into his thigh. Reaching under him, he pulled out something round, hard and very familiar. It was a constellation marble.
Dino sighed in defeat, pocketing it to give to the girls later. Marcia had found another one in the bottom of the tea kettle soon after, which had inexplicably ended up there somehow.
It seemed the Great Marble Hunt was already underway, and it was their problem.