#FFXIVWrite2018 Day 2: Silenced
He had been five, and (to Ghes’sae’s chagrin) full of things to say. If it wasn’t a question it was some anecdote or another from whatever ran through his little toddler mind. At that age, Ghes’sae could find a moment’s peace in sending him out to play; the problem was that it only made his babble worse when he came back. ‘The birds’ this, ‘the marmots’ that, anecdote after anecdote on the creatures living beyond the yard.
It reminded him of Fal’ir. He hated it.
It became unbearable one particular night, when Ehnek had been running a bothersome fever. Ghes’sae had gone with his usual tactic of getting Ehnek’a out of his hair with a bag of acorns and instructions to ‘go feed the nutkin or whatever’. It only lasted an hour before the tiny shadow darkened the kitchen door again.
“Ehnek’a,” he sighed, glancing up from the soup bowl, “I told you to go feed the nutkin.”
“I did. Then a hunter scared them and they all ran away.” He tilted his head, and Ghes’sae tried very hard not to see that idiot’s face in his spawn’s again. “The squirrels said thank you though--”
“Ehnek’a, I don’t have time for the squirrels right now, I’m trying to help your mother.” Ghes’sae set the soup bowl down on the tray, carefully balancing it and the glass of orange juice as he picked it back up. “It will have to wait until she’s better.”
“But they said it now...”
He’s five, the logical part of his mind tried to say as he stalked back to the bedroom, he doesn’t know better. To his annoyance, Ehnek’a followed at his heels, talking too much to get a ‘go away’ in edgewise.
“Then all tried to say thank you at the same time,” he continued, “but they aren’t very good at doing it all at once like singing...”
“So it came out like ‘thank you thank you thank thank you you!’ and it was really funny!”
Why doesn’t he know better?
“I think Mom would find it really funny...”
“Ehnek’a,” he hissed as he whirled on his heels and made the child jump. “I have been working all night to help your mother, and I have told you I don’t have time for your story. Your mother is very sick tonight, and squirrels being silly won’t make her fever go down. Understand?”
That got him to stop, and his eyes went wide at the first bubble of silence since he got back. “... uh... it might make her feel better?”
“I know what till make her feel better and it’s not. Bothering. Her.” His snap was sharp enough for Ehnek’a to flinch back, and it bought him enough time to stop the child when he opened his mouth again. “Now I don’t want to hear another word out of you all night. If you really want to help your mother then you need to stay out of the way and be. Quiet.” He paused for a breath, and to his relief, Ehnek’a stayed silent. “Do you understand?”
Ehnek’a almost said something, but Ghes’sae was quick to raise an eyebrow as his mouth opened, and it was quickly shut and replaced with a nod. “Good.” He straightned back up, readjusting his grip on the tray more comfortably. “Go read your picture book. Quietly.”
Another little nod, and Ehnek’a zipped off for the living room. Ghes’sae stood quiet in the hallway for a few long seconds, and when only silence met his ears, he dropped his stern expression and continued on his way.
The silence carried from hour to hour, enough that when dinner rolled around, Ehnek had to comment. “Ehnek’a has been awfully quiet today...”
“He knows you’re resting,” Ghe’sae offered, giving her a small, reassuring smile. “He just wants to help.”