#stormlit. ylfa 05.

[highaver]

@stormlit / continued.

"I got that for you," Balfour says, lightly and simply. His smile is sweet, which it always is with Ylfa, who is too young to not have somebody try and look out for her. Sitting down beside her - on the floor, which his knee did not love - he held a hand out for Scratch, and regretted not asking Elethea for a spare potion of animal speaking. The dog pads over all the same, and Balfour greets him with a pleased "Hello, Scratch!" before giving him some scratches behind the ear.

"You can eat that for yourself, I don't mind. We're going to have some fish later, I heard. Don't want to spoil my appetite." He glances at the cards Ylfa is packing away. "What were you doing?"

[highaver]

Balfour did not say the obvious. He did think it, though, and laughed softly to himself. Ylfa was certainly a character, and though he regretted that a child of her years was caught in the middle of all this horror, he was still glad that he had met her. She reminded him of Oren, just a little. And the thought sent a jolt of sadness through him, furrowing his brow briefly. He sat up a little better, shifted in place as if it might just have been his knee bothering him. Nothing for Ylfa to worry about.

"Well," he said, before she had any chance to ask any questions, "I'm sure snap will suit him much better. Won't it, Scratch?" The dog made a quiet sound - and Balfour appreciated him not barking straight into his face - before he seemingly lost interest in the two of them and padded off to go entertain himself. Balfour sighed, playing up his disappointment for the sake of making Ylfa smile. "That's what no salami gets you, then. We should steal some from Thea's supplies next time, so he stays a time longer, eh? She won't even notice if we're smart. I bet you're sneaky when you want to be, aren't you?"

❝ thanks, ❞ ylfa says with a smile, but she still tears off a piece of the bun and hands it back to him. just a little snack, like the fancy people have at parties before the feast. in this case, the feast is adequately cooked fish that is probably fresh. balfour didn't have to bring her a bun, she knows that. he doesn't have to spend time with her, either, but she thinks he's her second-best friend, after her grandma. which, ylfa guesses, makes him her best friend now. as she chews her bun, she decides to be happy about that, and not sad.

❝ teaching scratch to play pinochle. but i forgot that it's a pretty advanced game, grandma didn't teach it to me straight away 'cause i was too young, so i don't think he got it. ❞ she stows the deck in her pack for later--or her next victim. ❝ we're gonna try snap next time, it's easier, but he got tired. and i ran out of salami to give him. ❞