wish you were here
companion to [x]
It’s cold, but not cold enough to warrant a jacket--which was good, because Raphie had left his at home, temporarily traded for a silver ring that rests on his pinkie (the rest of his fingers were much bigger than the ring’s owner’s). He gathers firewood in silence, save for the sound of his boots crunching in the snow. It’s quiet in the woods; most of the songbirds have flown south. Raphie wouldn’t mind so much, except.
Except usually he had someone to share that silence with.
That someone is back at home, though, probably snuggled up in Raphie’s jacket and still finding a way to bitch about the cold. Raphie smiles a little at the thought as he trudges back towards his tent, arms full of the driest firewood he could find. This should be enough to cook his dinner and keep him warm until he falls asleep. In the morning he’d be back on the road, of course, hopefully home before dark--but that’d probably require him to get up earlier than he had been. That was tomorrow, though. Tonight it was just Raphie, his little campfire, and his dinner.
Rabbit. It already smells fantastic. It’s savory--it’s not the sweet vanilla and wine of home, but a good smell nonetheless and it has his stomach grumbling almost immediately. It was good to get out of the castle and stretch his legs a bit, cook for himself, get some fresh air. And it’s good to get out of that goddamned armor for awhile. Raphie just wishes Felix hadn’t been so busy this time--he would’ve loved this.
He always loves shit like this, though. Any excuse to get out of that crowded castle.
Later, as Raphie lays staring up at the top of his tent, he slides the ring off of his pinkie and holds it up, rolling it between his index finger and his thumb. He was so surprised when Felix had caught him by the arm to press this into his palm. It’s important--Felix uses it to check his wine (he thinks he’s subtle about it but Raphie notices every time). It’s supposed to change color if it touches certain poisons, but Raphie will believe that when he sees it. Felix has a spare of course, but this one was a gift from his mother. It’s sentimental. Raphie breaks out into a grin, letting out a short huff of a laugh.
“What a fucking sap.”