SSH: The Perfect Gift

Writers: Miriah, Yvonne
Date Posted: 3rd May 2019

Characters: Taril, Humari
Description: Taril brings his gift home to his wife.
Location: Sunstone Seahold
Date: month 10, day 27 of Turn 9
Notes: Notes: Takes place before "Runners on the Loose" and immediately after "Egg Delivery"

Humari

"I'm home!" Taril stepped through the door to the little apartment he
shared with his wife, eagerly looking for Humari and Tumaril. The
basket from Arnolt was a pleasant weight against his elbow and he'd
imagined the look on Humari's face as he presented her with his gift a
thousand times as he made his slow way from the dockyards up to the
Hold. "Humari?"

"I'm in here." Humari's sleepy voice answered from their bedroom and
there was a rustle of cloth before she emerged, rubbing her eyes. She
glanced around blearily, her hair mussed and tumbled over her
shoulders in thick waves. "Tumaril took a nap with me. He's still
sleeping" She yawned, tugging her robe closely around her. "What time
is it?"

Taril's breath hitched momentarily at the sight of her. No matter what
she was, what she wore, she was beautiful to him. Then he grinned and
held a hand out to her in an invitation to come closer. "Mid
afternoon. I'm home early. I have something for you."

"That late?" She blinked, then frowned. "Oh no, I haven't even gotten
dinner started. I'm sorry, I've just been so tired." Humari took his
hand, still not awake enough to really catch what he was saying.
"Hm?" She rubbed her eyes with her free hand again, trying to wake up.
"What is it?"

He handed her the basket. "This."

She took the basket, her brow furrowed, then slowly unwrapped the
cover. She gasped, nearly dropping it before she caught herself. "You
got me an egg? A flit egg?" Her smile was ecstatic, eyes gleaming with
joy. "Oh, Taril! Thank you!" She pressed her lips to his several
times, then hugged him before putting the egg right in front of the
coals. She hurriedly stoked the fire, adding more pieces of wood. "Oh
my goodness. I'm so excited! When is it due to hatch?"

"It's wild, so I'm not sure. Likely soon." He sat to pull off his
boot, pleased at the way he'd made Humari smile.

She beamed at him, but hurried over on her knees to help him pull off
the boot. "You're a wonderful, wonderful man, Taril." She put the boot
aside. "Can I use some of Dodger's jerky? Just in case?"

"Of course!" Taril made a face as he slipped his one good foot in his
slipper, grabbed his crutch and stood. "I should have remembered-- I
just got in that shipment of dried little fish. I'll skim a bag full
of them off the top tomorrow for you. Just in case." He caught
Humari's hand before she could hurry back to the fire and bent to give
her a kiss. "And you're welcome."

"You're too good to me." She hugged him after she rose, burying her
face in his chest. She didn't ask how much it had cost, nor how he had
gotten it. She just wanted to stay in that embrace and his warmth. A
small little sound of shifting sand caught her attention and she
turned. Her eyes widened; the egg was rocking. She tugged at his
shirt. "Taril? Look."

The merchant blinked in disbelief. "No-- already!?"

Humari sputtered in shock and hurried to the cabinets, rummaging as
fast as she could to find some of Dodger's jerky. "We had Sissa's egg
for nearly a sevenday! Maybe the movement?" She hurried, then heard
the snuffles and mumbling of their son from the room and paused, torn
between the soon-to-hatch egg and Tumaril waking.

"Get the jerky! I'll get Tumaril." Taril gave his wife a little push
before limping off to fetch his son. Tumaril was just opening his eyes
as Taril entered the room. He smiled at his son and bent to brush his
hair out of his face. "Hello. Have a good nap, little one?"

Thankful he was getting their son, she grabbed a bag of jerky out of
the cabinet and rushed towards the hearth just as the first crack
appeared.

"Papa?" Tumaril rubbed his eyes and gave a wide smile nodding and
lifting his arms up. "Where Mama?"

It had taken a lot of practice, but Taril was now able to pick up
Tumaril one-handed while using his crutch for balance. It was easier
now that Tumaril could help, although it wouldn't be too much longer
before Tumaril was too heavy to pick up without getting him to stand
up first. "Your mother is in the other room. She's got a surprise--
it's a flit egg, and it's hatching! A little flit, like Dodger, will
come out. Want to go see the egg hatch?"

Wrapping his arms around Taril's neck, Tumaril nodded. "Ya. Like Dodger."

"Taril! It's cracking!" Humari knelt, jerky in hand as the crack
widened slightly and there was a muffed peep from with in. The egg
rocked steadily back and forth as though the little firelizard within
was desperate to emerge.

"Coming!" Taril limped back out to the main room and settled himself
and Tumaril on the chair nearest the fire. He pointed at the basket.
"See? There's a flit in there!"

Tumaril watched with big eyes as the egg moved back and forth. "Baby?
Like mama's belly? I hold it?"

Humari smiled at the words, but her eyes never left the egg, jerky in
hand. The egg stilled, shuddered and then suddenly burst apart, a
bronze firelizard crying out as he attempted to shake egg goop from
his wings. He creeled, stumbling forward and falling on his chin with
a peep of dismay. Humari caught her breath and shoved forward the
jerky, watching as the tiny firelizard leaped towards it, gobbling
down the bits. He peeped for more, looking about, and was rewarded by
another offering of jerky, bolting the small pieces down with
desperate hunger.

Tumaril pointed. "Shiny, Papa! Is shiny!"

"A bronze!" Taril cried in surprise. "That's-- that's amazing!"

Above them, Dodger appeared from /between/ and landed on the basket's
handle. He hummed and watched the new flit intently as Humari fed him
treats.

The bronze dove for more jerky, and as Humari created a path for the
little firelizard towards her, her wide, dazzling smile never faded.
"Come on, little one. Come on." The bronze hurried forward, following
the trail of meat bits and directly into her hands. He peered up at
her, chewing, then opened his mouth wide in demand. Humari gave a
breathless laugh, pressing more meat into the gaping maw, suddenly
feeling the hunger of the firelizard now in her palm. She fed him
continuously until his belly bulged and he curled up in her arms, his
head buried into the crook of her elbow.

Humari looked up at Taril, eyes bright. "He's beautiful, Taril. Look at him!"

"I hold?" Tumaril reached, catching on to his parent's excitement. "Me hold!"

"In a moment. Let your mother hold him first." Taril called Dodger
over and the flit willingly crawled up his arm to sit next to Tumaril.
The merchant turned back to Humari. "He is beautiful. And so tiny--
for now!"

Tumaril gently picked up Dodger and cuddled him like a stuffie,
patting the soft hide and ignoring any squirming. "Purty."

Humari carefully rose, cradling the bronze in her arms with an amazed
expression on her face. "Oh, Taril. He's perfect." She moved to the
couch, sitting carefully while stroking the soft, still damp hide.
"What should I name him?"

"I don't know." Taril grimaced as he got hit in the face with one of
Dodger's flailing wings. The flit cheeped, then wrapped his tail
around Tumaril's chubby arm to keep the child from crushing his wings.
"I wish he'd stayed a little longer in his shell. It's a lot harder to
think up names on the fly."

"Dodger, behave yourself. Tumari, not so tight." Humari only
half-scolded the pair as she stroked the hide, enraptured by the
gleaming bronze. " Well, he didn't. I have no clue. I never thought
I'd ever have a bronze firelizard." She smiled down at the creature.
"I thought maybe a blue or at most a brown. Even Lord Bryvin doesn't
have a bronze." She studied the now lightly snoring firelizard. "How
about Sail or Anchor?"

"Sail sounds nicer than Anchor, I think. Or Jib. You could always call him Bowline, or just Bow. Or-- or Rusty? Taril's imagination ran dry.

Humari perked up. "I like Jib. It's short and simple. " She smiled down at the bronze flit. "Hello, Jib. You're just perfect."

That smile... that was worth the marks he'd spent. Taril smiled back. "You're right. Just perfect."

Last updated on the May 10th 2019

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SSH: The Perfect Gift