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rainbowfic2023-07-27 09:29 pm
thisbluespirit) wrote in rainbowfic2023-07-27 09:29 pm
Colour of the Day 27/07/23 [Starfall]
Name: Namesake
Story: Starfall
Colors: Colour of the Day – 27th July 2023 (Nibling)
Supplies and Styles: Canvas + Graffiti – Book of the Day
Word Count: 657
Rating: G
Warnings: None. Flash fic.
Notes: 1299, Portcallan; Leion Valerno, Arna Valerno. (Random CotD fill again, but the prompt fitted too well. Leion, btw, has three sisters (full half and step). This one is his full sister Arna (8 years older than him, so they’re respectively about 22 and 14 here.)
Summary: Leion’s beginning to grow up.
Leion hadn’t been sure whether or not Arna would want to be bothered with him yet, but Mother had told him to go on up, so he knocked and entered, keen to take a look at the new baby.
“Leio! Oh, good,” said Arna, holding out a hand to him. She was leaning back against the pillows, paler than usual, but not really looking anything worse than tired. “I wanted to see you.”
Leion stepped forward and gave her a brief, sideways hug, wrinkling his nose, before he pulled away to look into the cot beside her. The baby twitched, lying there, reddish-brown and all scrunched up, her whole life yet to expand out into. She wasn’t bad – the best infant he’d seen since Kettah, anyway.
“Hu and I want to name her after you,” Arna said, making him turn his head sharply. “I wanted to be sure you wouldn’t mind first. We think probably Leiona, though we’ll call her something for short.”
Leion dropped down on the edge of the bed. “Do you really mean that?” He’d already been boasting to his friends about being an uncle when none of them were; this would give him even more to crow about. He looked from his sister to the baby and laughed. “What did she do to deserve that?”
“You don’t mind, do you?”
He shook his head. It was, now he was beginning to take it in, too big a compliment to work out anything he could say in return.
“Good,” said Arna. “I’m so glad. Now, pass her to me, will you?”
Leion jumped up, but hesitated. “What if I drop her?”
“Why would you?” Arna returned, sounding much more like her usual brisk self. “Just mind her head.”
“Oh, I know that,” he said. He remembered everybody going on about it when Kettah was tiny, especially Seah. He leant in and picked up his brand new namesake, warm and dense against him. She stirred and cried at him until he’d handed her over.
He touched her cheek lightly while Arna held her. “Don’t think she’s keen on me. You might want to spare her.”
“Nonsense,” said Arna, much as Mother might have done, but with Arna it came out comfortably, with little of Mother’s crystal sharpness.
The baby was too small to take any notice yet, but Leion pulled faces at her anyway, and in between he said, “Why me?”
“Because we wanted to,” said Arna. She threw him a look, and Leion nodded. He’d never really thought about what Arna felt about their separation years ago, when Father had died. He’d always thought she’d been happy to go to Aunt Menna and Teila, even if she’d always still told him she missed him when they did meet.
Mother had been angry about Arna marrying Hunell so young. They both had great potential in their careers, and there was really no need for it, Mother had said, although, of course, when Arna had been determined, Mother had said no more. Leion gave Arna a sidelong glance, for the first time thinking maybe he understood why she’d done it. “Mother doesn’t know everything,” she’d told him at the time. Even if Arna was quite as clever as Mother, she wanted different things.
“Kettah’s waiting,” Leion said, remembering that, rather belatedly, but Arna’s suggestion about Baby’s name had put it out of his head. “And Mother says we can only come in one at a time right now.”
Arna laughed. “Yes, probably as well. Go and tell her, then. I shall brace myself!”
“On my way,” said Leion, straightening up. Then he leant back down and gave Arna a hasty kiss on the head. He straightened. “It’s an honour, by the way.”
Arna laughed at him as he looked back from the doorway. “Stars above us,” she said. “It’s aged you already.”
“I’m an uncle,” said Leion, as if the consequences ought to have been obvious, and then closed the door behind him.
Story: Starfall
Colors: Colour of the Day – 27th July 2023 (Nibling)
Supplies and Styles: Canvas + Graffiti – Book of the Day
Word Count: 657
Rating: G
Warnings: None. Flash fic.
Notes: 1299, Portcallan; Leion Valerno, Arna Valerno. (Random CotD fill again, but the prompt fitted too well. Leion, btw, has three sisters (full half and step). This one is his full sister Arna (8 years older than him, so they’re respectively about 22 and 14 here.)
Summary: Leion’s beginning to grow up.
Leion hadn’t been sure whether or not Arna would want to be bothered with him yet, but Mother had told him to go on up, so he knocked and entered, keen to take a look at the new baby.
“Leio! Oh, good,” said Arna, holding out a hand to him. She was leaning back against the pillows, paler than usual, but not really looking anything worse than tired. “I wanted to see you.”
Leion stepped forward and gave her a brief, sideways hug, wrinkling his nose, before he pulled away to look into the cot beside her. The baby twitched, lying there, reddish-brown and all scrunched up, her whole life yet to expand out into. She wasn’t bad – the best infant he’d seen since Kettah, anyway.
“Hu and I want to name her after you,” Arna said, making him turn his head sharply. “I wanted to be sure you wouldn’t mind first. We think probably Leiona, though we’ll call her something for short.”
Leion dropped down on the edge of the bed. “Do you really mean that?” He’d already been boasting to his friends about being an uncle when none of them were; this would give him even more to crow about. He looked from his sister to the baby and laughed. “What did she do to deserve that?”
“You don’t mind, do you?”
He shook his head. It was, now he was beginning to take it in, too big a compliment to work out anything he could say in return.
“Good,” said Arna. “I’m so glad. Now, pass her to me, will you?”
Leion jumped up, but hesitated. “What if I drop her?”
“Why would you?” Arna returned, sounding much more like her usual brisk self. “Just mind her head.”
“Oh, I know that,” he said. He remembered everybody going on about it when Kettah was tiny, especially Seah. He leant in and picked up his brand new namesake, warm and dense against him. She stirred and cried at him until he’d handed her over.
He touched her cheek lightly while Arna held her. “Don’t think she’s keen on me. You might want to spare her.”
“Nonsense,” said Arna, much as Mother might have done, but with Arna it came out comfortably, with little of Mother’s crystal sharpness.
The baby was too small to take any notice yet, but Leion pulled faces at her anyway, and in between he said, “Why me?”
“Because we wanted to,” said Arna. She threw him a look, and Leion nodded. He’d never really thought about what Arna felt about their separation years ago, when Father had died. He’d always thought she’d been happy to go to Aunt Menna and Teila, even if she’d always still told him she missed him when they did meet.
Mother had been angry about Arna marrying Hunell so young. They both had great potential in their careers, and there was really no need for it, Mother had said, although, of course, when Arna had been determined, Mother had said no more. Leion gave Arna a sidelong glance, for the first time thinking maybe he understood why she’d done it. “Mother doesn’t know everything,” she’d told him at the time. Even if Arna was quite as clever as Mother, she wanted different things.
“Kettah’s waiting,” Leion said, remembering that, rather belatedly, but Arna’s suggestion about Baby’s name had put it out of his head. “And Mother says we can only come in one at a time right now.”
Arna laughed. “Yes, probably as well. Go and tell her, then. I shall brace myself!”
“On my way,” said Leion, straightening up. Then he leant back down and gave Arna a hasty kiss on the head. He straightened. “It’s an honour, by the way.”
Arna laughed at him as he looked back from the doorway. “Stars above us,” she said. “It’s aged you already.”
“I’m an uncle,” said Leion, as if the consequences ought to have been obvious, and then closed the door behind him.
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