Post by Grisha on Aug 1, 2021 17:50:08 GMT -8
The snowflakes were small, but they were coming down like a shower. Snow was piled up to the windows of the numerous homes in Kousetsu Village, and most of the villagers were warm and indoors. Lena was at the fireplace using a poker to keep the remaining embers burning. She was bundled up in a gray sweater with rabbit fur and wearing darker gray leggings. The sleeves extended to her knuckles. Knit mittens of a white and blue zig-zag pattern covered her hands. A marble-white, fuzzy scarf wrapped her face just beneath her blue eyes. Her breath rose in white plumes from behind it. The entire house didn’t feel any different than the outside. They had neglected to restock on the firewood inside, and Tobias and Alyosha were out cutting more wood. She was trying to keep a pot of rabbit stew warm for them. It was the least she could do since they didn’t need her help.
The door opened and Lena glanced over her shoulder to see her father and red-haired young man trudging in. They stomped the ice from their boots as they each carried a crate of logs. Lena stood in her high-sock covered feet and greeted, “Welcome back! I hope it wasn’t too difficult.”
Alyosha’s cheeks were still red from the kiss winter gave them as he slumped his shoulders and sighed pathetically, “If it grew any colder, I don’t think I would have made it.”
Tobias released a handle to clap him on the back. “You’re making me feel younger,” he laughed. He closed the door, and the two walked over to the fireplace to set down the logs.
Lena walked over to Alyosha while Tobias fed the fire and placed her mitten-covered hands over his rosy cheeks. She smiled up at him, while Alyosha brought his hands up to cup the backs of her own. “They’re so red,” she teased.
Alyosha grinned. “Thanks.”
She lifted on her toes and kissed him on the lips before she turned, sliding her hands free from his. She walked over to the fire and stirred the stew to spread the warmth throughout the broth. “I tried to keep it hot. If you two give it a little bit, then it should be ready to eat.”
“I can’t wait. I’m starved,” Alyosha said as he removed his snow hat and walked over to plop upon the couch before the fire. Tobias, who was pushing the embers close to the logs, glanced over his shoulder with narrowed eyes.
“Don’t you have your own home to freeload at?” he teased.
“Oh come on, Old Man…” he whined.
Tobias swung the glowing hot poker and pointed it at Alyosha. “Call me, Old Man again. I cut more logs than you remember.”
Alyosha held up his hands in surrender and apologized, “Yeah, yeah; sorry. I don’t want to miss out on Lena’s world-famous cooking.” He stretched his arms along the back of the couch and smirked over at her as he watched her set the table.
Lena blushed and brushed a lock of her platinum hair behind her ear. “World-famous? Nobody even knows about this place.”
The two laughed, and after a few minutes, they were all sitting at the dinner table. Lena was passing along a basket of snow loaves that Tobias and Alyosha each removed a roll from. Setting the basket down, Alyosha gazed across the table at Lena and smiled. “Are you going to wear that at the table?” he asked. “It hides your pretty face.”
Lena blushed. “Oh, yeah, I guess I should,” she said. She slid back her chair and carefully unraveled the scarf. She didn’t want to accidentally get a tail of it in her soup. She folded the scarf neatly in her lap and scooted back up to the table.
Tobias was frowning as he glanced between the stupidly in love, smiling Alyosha, and Lena who was smiling coyly down at her food. “So…when are you two getting married?” he asked.
Alyosha jolted in his seat and stared wide-eyed at Tobias. Lena’s eyes were just as large. “D-Dad. Are you serious?” she asked in embarrassment.
“You guys hug and kiss. You’re around each other all the time. So, when are you going to get married and live together? How long are you going to keep me waiting for a grandson?”
Alyosha was smiling sheepishly, but then his smile soon turned into a strained…not-grin. The topic was such a sensitive one and seemed only for him and Lena. He didn’t even know how to answer. He didn’t even know if it was appropriate to answer. He didn’t even know HOW TO ANSWER! He glanced across the table at Lena who was staring at him! In that moment, his armpits flushed a gallon of water. What did she want him to say?
Alyosha dunked some bread into his soup, and then lifted the roll to his mouth to press it into his gob until his cheeks were bulging. He slowly glanced off to the side as he quietly chewed. Lena had been silently thinking to herself while she stared at Alyosha. She liked him, but her heart wasn’t saying anything. He was handsome, kind, and respectful. His father owned the bakery where they got their snow loaves and flurry cakes. If he had asked her to marry him, then she had no reason to say no. It just…it just didn’t feel right. Then again, she wasn’t sure she knew what love was supposed to feel like. Not that kind of love at least.
Tobias glanced between the two and chuckled, “Sorry. I didn’t mean to create so much tension. I was just joking.”
Alyosha swallowed the roll and uttered a weak laugh, “Oh. Ha, ha…but um…how do you know it’s going to be a grandson?” He arched a brow.
Tobias shrugged. “I mean…I’d like a grandson. I’ve been surrounded by women my entire life (Lena and her mother). I was hoping for a break.”
Lena narrowed her eyes at her father and kicked him in the shin under the table. Tobias winced. “You get whatever I make…” She then blushed and frowned off to the side. “Not that I’m saying that I plan to get pregnant any time soon.”
Alyosha tugged at his collar and coughed. “This hole just keeps getting deeper.”
Lena giggled, and the three enjoyed a good laugh. That evening, Lena and Alyosha had sat side-by-side on the couch, but the two had nodded off to sleep. She leaned against him, head resting against his chest and hands tucked between her thighs to keep warm. Alyosha was lounged in the corner, his arms resting along the back of the sofa. Tobias laid a pelt of fur over the two before he retreated up to his bedroom.
WC: 1,132
The door opened and Lena glanced over her shoulder to see her father and red-haired young man trudging in. They stomped the ice from their boots as they each carried a crate of logs. Lena stood in her high-sock covered feet and greeted, “Welcome back! I hope it wasn’t too difficult.”
Alyosha’s cheeks were still red from the kiss winter gave them as he slumped his shoulders and sighed pathetically, “If it grew any colder, I don’t think I would have made it.”
Tobias released a handle to clap him on the back. “You’re making me feel younger,” he laughed. He closed the door, and the two walked over to the fireplace to set down the logs.
Lena walked over to Alyosha while Tobias fed the fire and placed her mitten-covered hands over his rosy cheeks. She smiled up at him, while Alyosha brought his hands up to cup the backs of her own. “They’re so red,” she teased.
Alyosha grinned. “Thanks.”
She lifted on her toes and kissed him on the lips before she turned, sliding her hands free from his. She walked over to the fire and stirred the stew to spread the warmth throughout the broth. “I tried to keep it hot. If you two give it a little bit, then it should be ready to eat.”
“I can’t wait. I’m starved,” Alyosha said as he removed his snow hat and walked over to plop upon the couch before the fire. Tobias, who was pushing the embers close to the logs, glanced over his shoulder with narrowed eyes.
“Don’t you have your own home to freeload at?” he teased.
“Oh come on, Old Man…” he whined.
Tobias swung the glowing hot poker and pointed it at Alyosha. “Call me, Old Man again. I cut more logs than you remember.”
Alyosha held up his hands in surrender and apologized, “Yeah, yeah; sorry. I don’t want to miss out on Lena’s world-famous cooking.” He stretched his arms along the back of the couch and smirked over at her as he watched her set the table.
Lena blushed and brushed a lock of her platinum hair behind her ear. “World-famous? Nobody even knows about this place.”
The two laughed, and after a few minutes, they were all sitting at the dinner table. Lena was passing along a basket of snow loaves that Tobias and Alyosha each removed a roll from. Setting the basket down, Alyosha gazed across the table at Lena and smiled. “Are you going to wear that at the table?” he asked. “It hides your pretty face.”
Lena blushed. “Oh, yeah, I guess I should,” she said. She slid back her chair and carefully unraveled the scarf. She didn’t want to accidentally get a tail of it in her soup. She folded the scarf neatly in her lap and scooted back up to the table.
Tobias was frowning as he glanced between the stupidly in love, smiling Alyosha, and Lena who was smiling coyly down at her food. “So…when are you two getting married?” he asked.
Alyosha jolted in his seat and stared wide-eyed at Tobias. Lena’s eyes were just as large. “D-Dad. Are you serious?” she asked in embarrassment.
“You guys hug and kiss. You’re around each other all the time. So, when are you going to get married and live together? How long are you going to keep me waiting for a grandson?”
Alyosha was smiling sheepishly, but then his smile soon turned into a strained…not-grin. The topic was such a sensitive one and seemed only for him and Lena. He didn’t even know how to answer. He didn’t even know if it was appropriate to answer. He didn’t even know HOW TO ANSWER! He glanced across the table at Lena who was staring at him! In that moment, his armpits flushed a gallon of water. What did she want him to say?
Alyosha dunked some bread into his soup, and then lifted the roll to his mouth to press it into his gob until his cheeks were bulging. He slowly glanced off to the side as he quietly chewed. Lena had been silently thinking to herself while she stared at Alyosha. She liked him, but her heart wasn’t saying anything. He was handsome, kind, and respectful. His father owned the bakery where they got their snow loaves and flurry cakes. If he had asked her to marry him, then she had no reason to say no. It just…it just didn’t feel right. Then again, she wasn’t sure she knew what love was supposed to feel like. Not that kind of love at least.
Tobias glanced between the two and chuckled, “Sorry. I didn’t mean to create so much tension. I was just joking.”
Alyosha swallowed the roll and uttered a weak laugh, “Oh. Ha, ha…but um…how do you know it’s going to be a grandson?” He arched a brow.
Tobias shrugged. “I mean…I’d like a grandson. I’ve been surrounded by women my entire life (Lena and her mother). I was hoping for a break.”
Lena narrowed her eyes at her father and kicked him in the shin under the table. Tobias winced. “You get whatever I make…” She then blushed and frowned off to the side. “Not that I’m saying that I plan to get pregnant any time soon.”
Alyosha tugged at his collar and coughed. “This hole just keeps getting deeper.”
Lena giggled, and the three enjoyed a good laugh. That evening, Lena and Alyosha had sat side-by-side on the couch, but the two had nodded off to sleep. She leaned against him, head resting against his chest and hands tucked between her thighs to keep warm. Alyosha was lounged in the corner, his arms resting along the back of the sofa. Tobias laid a pelt of fur over the two before he retreated up to his bedroom.
WC: 1,132