Palpable

A Moment of Rest

A Moment of Rest
Challenge: Nostalgia 
» The gang share stories about their past during a rare moment of respite. 

NOSTALGIA

"You know, it's funny..."

"What's funny?"

"When my old man died in my place, I had sworn to myself that I'd never fight again. And yet, here I am."

Tori watched as Amelia and Crab talked with each other as she began to sand down the wooden dragon she had carved out of the log earlier. Athena was weaving a crown made of wildflowers for herself, since the other was resting in Amelia's hair.

The sky was a brilliant shade of blue, without a single cloud in the sky to impede the sun from shining down on them. She breathed in the warm breeze, and sneezed when a dandelion caught in her nose.

"When we were young, Cassandra, Astra and I used to run through fields like these, except they were golden since it was usually late summer." There was a distant look in Draco's eyes, and Tori eyed his toes as they flexed and dug into the grass, as if he was about to start running. "I was always the fastest, no matter how much a head start Cassandra got on me." he said with a laugh.

Athena finished the flower crown and delicately began to braid Tori's hair through it. She blinked at the faerie as locks of her hair was intertwined with the petals, and winced when one was tugged too hard. "Ow! Athena, watch it!"

"You sound like a shield maiden I once knew." Athena said with a smirk. Amelia rolled her eyes.

"I can't imagine who it might have been."

Tori squirmed, trying to get away, but Amelia grabbed her elbows to hold her in place. "Nuh-uh. If I must be tortured by her majesty the Shield Bearer then you must too."

"I hate both of you."

Crab snickered. "Well, I pretty much fended for myself until I met you guys. I think books were my only friend."

"Yeah, I know what you mean. My uncle didn't want me to do much of anything that wasn't proper, so whenever I could, I read."

"You? Read?" Draco raised his eyebrows at her. Tori lunged for him and caught his shoulders with her arm, ignoring Athena's scream of fury and Amelia's laughter. He fell with a yelp, and she wrestled with him for a moment before she settled on her legs, letting him back up. She dusted pollen off her green tunic, since her brown jacket had been tossed on the pile of clothes with the other's.

"I had nothing better to do with my time," she explained with a shrug. "You try spending all your time weaving and sewing and being around women who have nothing better to do but gossip about if her neighbor's husband slept with the wife's sister."

"Sounds stimulating." Draco wrinkled his nose as he gingerly pressed his fingers against the side of his head. "It's no wonder you have such a hard head. You filled it up with books and stubbornness."

She ignored him since she wasn't sure if that was a compliment or an insult. Athena pointed at her, devastation written on her dainty features.

"Your flower crown! You ruined my masterpiece!"

Tori touched her hair, where petals were falling out of their perfect alignment, and smiled sheepishly. "Sorry? He needed me to teach him a lesson?"

Athena huffed.

"So, what about you, Mia?" Crab leaned forward and waggled his eyebrows at her. Amelia leaned away with a laugh, pushing her hand in his face. He made to bite her fingers and she withdrew it. "Everyone else has shared a memory, so you do too!"