Sometimes they fight in fields full of flowers and when they’re done, the blood paints the flowers red. Sumia and Cordelia say they’re sad when they’re like that, but Nowi’s always found the red spots on white flowers look very pretty.
Henry’s picked her a bouquet of them today, created after specifically killing his enemies in ways to make the blood splatter prettier against the delicate white petals. “Do you like them?” He asks as he carefully weaves the stems into a crown.
“Of course I do!” Nowi laughs. She leans forward and ducks her head so Henry can set the flower crown on her head. “Hey, Henry?”
“Yeah?” He’s still smiling, as he always is. Just like always, his eyes are closed.
“Do you think we’ll remember this moment in a hundred years?”
Henry tips his head a bit at that, then tilts it the other way as he considers her words. “Well, I certainly won’t! Will you remember me in a hundred years?”
Oh... That’s right. Henry’s a human. Sometimes she forgets because he acts so differently from the other humans. Sometimes she forgets because he’s been such a constant in her life since he showed up and joined the Shepards.
Sometimes she forgets because it doesn’t occur to her that humans have such short lifespans. How do they live when they’re only going to die in a few years?
“Nowi?” He asks after a moment, his smile fading. “Are you okay?”
“N-No, not really.” She sniffs, suddenly not sure when the tears started. “Y-You humans… You guys live for such a short time…”
“We do.” Henry agrees. “But that just means we have to do a lot while we’re here! That’s why humans start wars and why we fight and kill and hurt others. Because sometimes the easiest way to leave a legacy is with blood.”
“Blood…” She mumbled, reaching up to touch the flowers on her head.
Henry nods. “That’s right. It’s not nice, but a lot of humans do that.”
Humans like the Grimleal. Humans like Walhart. “But not all humans are like that, right?”
“That’s right! Sometimes humans leave their mark on the world through kindness! It’s a lot harder to do that, though.”
Kindness… Like Emmeryn, maybe? Everyone was so sad when she died. Nowi hadn’t known her very well, but she had done everything she could to prevent a war. That seems kind. “What about you, Henry? How are you going to leave your mark?”
That gets the dark mage to pause for a moment. He seems to be looking down at the remaining flowers in his hands, but it’s kind of hard to tell when his eyes are always nearly closed. “Hmm… I wonder…” He says to himself.
Nowi can only patiently wait for three minutes. “So? What’ll it be?”
Henry looks up at her, smiling again. “Maybe I’ll get a dragon to love me. What do you think? That’d keep my memory alive for a long time, wouldn’t it?”
She returns the smile and reaches out for Henry’s hands. “For hundreds and hundreds of years!” For as long as she can remember.
BLOODSTAINED
Henry’s picked her a bouquet of them today, created after specifically killing his enemies in ways to make the blood splatter prettier against the delicate white petals. “Do you like them?” He asks as he carefully weaves the stems into a crown.
“Of course I do!” Nowi laughs. She leans forward and ducks her head so Henry can set the flower crown on her head. “Hey, Henry?”
“Yeah?” He’s still smiling, as he always is. Just like always, his eyes are closed.
“Do you think we’ll remember this moment in a hundred years?”
Henry tips his head a bit at that, then tilts it the other way as he considers her words. “Well, I certainly won’t! Will you remember me in a hundred years?”
Oh... That’s right. Henry’s a human. Sometimes she forgets because he acts so differently from the other humans. Sometimes she forgets because he’s been such a constant in her life since he showed up and joined the Shepards.
Sometimes she forgets because it doesn’t occur to her that humans have such short lifespans. How do they live when they’re only going to die in a few years?
“Nowi?” He asks after a moment, his smile fading. “Are you okay?”
“N-No, not really.” She sniffs, suddenly not sure when the tears started. “Y-You humans… You guys live for such a short time…”
“We do.” Henry agrees. “But that just means we have to do a lot while we’re here! That’s why humans start wars and why we fight and kill and hurt others. Because sometimes the easiest way to leave a legacy is with blood.”
“Blood…” She mumbled, reaching up to touch the flowers on her head.
Henry nods. “That’s right. It’s not nice, but a lot of humans do that.”
Humans like the Grimleal. Humans like Walhart. “But not all humans are like that, right?”
“That’s right! Sometimes humans leave their mark on the world through kindness! It’s a lot harder to do that, though.”
Kindness… Like Emmeryn, maybe? Everyone was so sad when she died. Nowi hadn’t known her very well, but she had done everything she could to prevent a war. That seems kind. “What about you, Henry? How are you going to leave your mark?”
That gets the dark mage to pause for a moment. He seems to be looking down at the remaining flowers in his hands, but it’s kind of hard to tell when his eyes are always nearly closed. “Hmm… I wonder…” He says to himself.
Nowi can only patiently wait for three minutes. “So? What’ll it be?”
Henry looks up at her, smiling again. “Maybe I’ll get a dragon to love me. What do you think? That’d keep my memory alive for a long time, wouldn’t it?”
She returns the smile and reaches out for Henry’s hands. “For hundreds and hundreds of years!” For as long as she can remember.