#just realized i drew two days with two characters at a table im a fraud

[hqmillioncorn]

Fun in the Sun (or the Shade!)

“Here ya go miss!”  Babycorn stepped aside to let Cherrypit deliver a bag full of millioncorn to the woman who had hired them to gather them. “We got as many as you told us to get and then we got lots more too!”  It had been almost too easy. Especially with Babycorn’s newfound skill of actually being good at botany.  “Lotsa corn! We go lots!” Cherrypit cheered. He was always happy to help.  The woman nodded, thanking them and giving them the gil she had promised. “If you’d like–you can join me inside for some stew as well.” It had been so long since she and Al had had guests. A part of her missed it. “It might be a while though so I understand if you adventuering types don’t have the patience for-” “YIPPEE FOOD!” Babycorn ran in with Cherrypit right behind her. Both of them hopping up and down in excitement.  There was something about them that was so familiar to Meeth. Too familiar. 

ffxiv write day 21: shade

aleria and lalatov go vegetable picking for some millioncorns but also its really hot oh no :(

The sun relentlessly shined down on almost all of eastern Thanalan. Today was a particularly strange weather day. The sky was almost covered entirely in clouds, making the possibility of the sun making it through near impossible. 

Yet of course, fate always found a way to make Aleria’s life just a little harder. 

Aleria moved her hand slightly above her eyes to try and block out the sun. She let out a small growl while considering the ramifications of what destroying the sun would do to the local ecosystem. 

Both her and Lalatov were currently hard at work collecting millioncorn as a favor for Meeth. 

Meeth hadn’t seen either of them out into the sun without any protection. Meeth had sent them both out into the wild with two of the biggest sun hats she owned. “Make sure to bring them back in one piece and bring yourselves back in one piece too!” Then she laughed loudly at her own joke before sending them off. 

But even with the added buff of having a sunhat, Aleria was still getting the sun in her eyes. 

Aleria noticed that Lalatov was having just as much trouble as her. Either the millioncorns were stronger than they looked or Lalatov had little to no strength in those skinny arms of his. Something told Aleria it was probably the latter. No matter how hard he seemed to pull, the millioncorns wouldn’t budge. “Do you need some help?” Aleria cried out.

“Huah?” Lalatov turned his head over to look over to her, “No! No! I’m fine! Totally fine!” 

Aleria was less than convinced. “Are you sure?” While her basket was already filled to the brim with millioncorns, Lalatov was struggling to even get halfway. Aleria grabbed a millioncorn from her basket and looked at it.  Was it worth it to work this hard just for this little thing? “What are these even for anyway?” 

Lalatov took a step back from trying to harvest a millioncorn to catch his breath. “They’re for Meeth’s stew!” She had told them that they could get as many helpings as they wanted in exchange for helping her gather ingredients. 

A stew in such hot weather wasn’t exactly the kind of thing Aleria was dying to try. Not only that but she preferred eating at home, alone. “Sorry but I think I’ll pass on the stew.” 

It’s better for her not to get close to people. 

“What?!” Lalatov fell on his back in surprise, scrambling to his feet in record time. “I promise it’s like the best thing you’ve ever tasted!” 

If Aleria learned anything about Lalatov by now it was that he never gave up easily. 

“Really?” Of course there was skepticism on her part. One didn’t just declare something being the best thing you’ve ever tasted without some proof. There was only one way for Aleria to test this. “...Could you survive being buried up to your head in it?!”

Lalatov didn’t miss a beat. “I would eat myself out of the stew in a flash!” 

“Damn. That must be some stew.” 

Lalatov nodded excitedly, “You don’t know the half of it!” He turned his back to her and looked at the millioncorn with more determination than ever. “And once we finish here we can go and eat with everyone!!” Though he had more determination, his strength sadly had not increased at all between then and now. 

Unbeknownst that Lalatov was doing all of that to impress Aleria, she decided to step in. “Here let me help!” Alaria walked up behind him, wrapping her hands around his own. “Alright-! On the count of three we pull together! Okay?” 

Lalatov’s face blushed a light pink. “O-O-O-Okayyyy…!”

Aleria was confused. Why did it sound like Lalatov was suddenly shivering? In this hot weather? Oh well, probably nothing to worry about. He was a weird guy. He had to be–if he wanted to befriend her. 

Lalatov had almost been too flustered to do anything on three, having just been quick enough to help Aleria once the number left her mouth. It was a shock to him how easy it had turned out to be. 

The millioncorn landed in Lalatov’s palm and he hurried to drop it into his basket as if he were holding a hot popoto instead. 

“Wow! You’re a natural!” Lalatov grinned, “You made it look so easy!”

“Hey don’t forget you helped too.” Even if it wasn’t by much.  

“I-I guess so…!” 

Lalatov looked around nervously. Maybe it was time to throw in the towel and admit he just wasn’t cut out for farm work. “Could you…Maybe help get the rest too…?” No doubt Aleria had already seen his poor attempt to harvest millioncorns already. Why would she offer her help otherwise? 

Aleria looked surprised, if only for a second. Then she gave Lalatov a sympathetic smile. “Alright! But only if you carry the basket behind me.” She didn’t want him to feel too left out now.

“Of course!” 

Lalatov grabbed the basket, happily carrying it while running behind Aleria. 

With the millioncorn that Meeth had asked Aleria and Lalatov to harvest all collected, both started on the journey home. It wasn’t a particularly long trip back home but the heat was making it feel like it would never end. 

Even with the help of Meeth’s sun hats the sun was relentless. 

For Aleria the heat wasn’t much of a problem, it was the sun getting in her eyes that she couldn't stand for much longer. Aleria set down the basket of millioncorn to adjust her sun hat for the umpteenth time. “Sorry Lalatov.” She sighed and picked the basket back up, “I just don’t like having my eyes hurt so much. You know?” 

That and the idea of not being able to see where she was going. It was making her nervous. 

Though she would never admit that part. 

Lalatov nodded, “We’re almost there! Don’t worry!” He assured her. 

Ever the optimist. Aleria liked that about him. A little too nice for his own preservation but that’s what she was here for, wasn’t it? 

As they continued to walk suddenly, the sun disappeared from Aleria’s eyes. “Hmm?” Instead now there was what looked like a shadow of something over her, completely blocking the sun from hitting her. “That feels nice…” Aleria hummed. A nice cool shade was just the right thing she needed on such a hot day like this. 

It was so nice that, for a moment, she never considered where the shade itself might be coming from.  

Aleria let out a sharp gasp and looked up. Afraid of what she would find.

Instead of the worst she could imagine, she was staring right at the wing of a dragon. A wing she had seen not too long ago. “Jeepers…” Aleria’s mouth hung open. That being said, it still was quite a sight to behold for her. 

Lalatov leaned in, a smirk on his face. “Is this any better?” He flapped his dragon wing a bit, trying to create a slight breeze. 

His wand, the limiter that his parents had given him, was broken now. 

With it gone he was free to do whatever he wanted to do with his inheritance. The dragon blood from his mother was never anything he was scared of showing people, unlike what his parents believed. The day he used it to its full potential to save Aleria was one of the best days of his life so far. 

Aleria thought otherwise. “Are you crazy?!” She dropped her basket and grabbed Lalatov by the collar of his robe. “If someone sees you with that wing out or anything they’ll…they’ll…” Her hands were shaking, she knew what the consequences of standing out were. 

The idea of losing Lalatov–of losing the one person who could come close to understanding her. It would be too much to bear. 

Lalatov gently held Aleria’s hands with his own, giving her the chance to let him go. “Hey, it’s okay. I’m not going anywhere!” He took his wing and wrapped it around Aleria. Shielding her from the outside. “Besides I'm already hanging out with you! I don’t think my social standing could get any lower!”

“You’re so…” Aleria wiped some tears from her eyes and laughed,  “...You’re so stupid you know that?”

“I’ve been told once or twice.” 

Sometimes even thrice. 

With the Lalatov’s wing protecting her from the sun, Aleria picked her basket back up and sighed. “Sorry I can’t shade you with my own...” 

“Don’t worry about it!” Lalatov gave her a warm smile. The same one that Aleria loved seeing.  “Until you can and even if you never do, I’ll stay right by your side.”