being a fan of both bakugou and akutagawa is very entertaining considering theyre very similar characters with similar roles in the narrative except their main difference is when one dies and hes revived with actual logic and using the established powers in the narrative. the other is revived with the power of fuck it we ball.
((Day one! OMG!! And here I thought I’d do something small and be done.... 1365 words later.... >.> Anyways, have some earlyearly Karo, very pre-calamity!))
The Miqo’te kitten’s feet made almost no marks in the grass of the clearing near the border of Thanalan and Gridania. She had been humming to herself, making up tunes to match unspoken thoughts flitting through her small frame, occasionally dancing to the music of her own creation--or maybe that of the world around her. Seirlait had stumbled across her bells earlier and had been watching from the shadowy tree branches as there were no guardians seeming to be present. The girl’s black hair was blue-tinted in the light, and he could see that her eyes were a deep blue to match the few times she had wandered close enough to his perch. She had naught but a small satchel with her, of which she had pulled an apple out of earlier to munch on, sharing with the small rabbit that had kept her company for a quarter bell. The sun was starting to set though, and he knew that Feophaux was going to have his head if he stayed out much past sunset. He couldn’t leave her alone though, not in the woods that he knew would swallow her whole if given the chance.
Climbing downs slowly and out of view, he took a deep breath before breaking into the clearing, not trying to hide his footfall. The singing stopped as black ears swiveled at his sound and she turned her gaze toward him inquisitively. What startled him most was the lack of fear in her young features, just pure curiosity. Walking slowly towards her, he stopped several fulms away and crouched down so he was closer to her height.
“Hello there,” Seirlait did his best to keep his voice calm and reassuring--speaking slowly and not taking his eyes off the young girl. “I’m a hunter and tradesman from the nearby town and noticed you all alone here. Are your guardians nearby?” Her eyes got even wider if that was possible, and the magic was broken. A torrent of tears sprang from those deep blue wells as a response seemed beyond anything more than that did not seem likely. Holding out his arms in sympathy and compassion, she threw herself at the offered comfort as he stood, carrying her back to the wagon.
Over a moon had passed since they had dropped the Miqo’te kit off at the small hamlet near where they found her. Seirlait and Feophaux had lingered in the area longer than normal, circling out from the clearing where they found her, looking for anyone searching for their own child, but found naught in the wilderness save what they saw most days. She hadn’t spoken a word to either one of them after they had bundled her up and saw her to safety, but when they pulled up to the homestead where they had left her, Seirlait’s heart jumped with joy (and not a little terror) to see the ball of energy that hurled itself at him from the rooftop, trusting in him to catch her. The breath knocked out of him, he hugged her close, petting the soft black hair and huffing out a laugh.
“Well, I guess that answers that. You do remember us, eh?” the girl pulled back just enough to look him in the eye and nod enthusiastically, before wiggling free to greet his partner in the same manner. The elder couple that had taken her in came out to chat before breaking the news. She was just too rambunctious for the two of them. A calmer child they could raise, but Karoiseka Vandor (as she had named herself to them), was a whirlwind of energy that needed more to keep her occupied than they could handle. They had already reached out to the next family over, and wouldn’t the two tradesmen please to take her that way. Snagging her now slightly larger pack, they headed out, staying the night in the woods, just the three of them in the travel waggon telling her tales by the fire. The next morning came too soon as she protested the handoff, but with the promise of a visit soon, watched the wagon rumble off back south towards Thanalan.
Thrice more in the coming moons over the course of half a year did they transport the poor Miqo’te kit from one home to the next, none able to contain the energy, the curiosity, or the penchant for heights. She slowly found her voice, talking a little bit more each time they saw her, but remarkably quiet for one so young. Each trip was a bright point of joy, and each goodbye got a little bit harder for all of them.
They were finally headed back to their own little cabin, fall had taken over the woods, and winter's chill bite was making the nights a bit more unpleasant. As promised though, they were headed to Karo’s latest home to visit at least for the day. The screech of joy breaking the silence of the woods was the only warning Feophaux received before having to settle the startled chocobos pulling the wagon as Karo landed on the roof behind him and scampered down to cuddle between the hyur and duskwright on the wide bench seat. They shared a nod, each putting a comforting hand on the child’s shoulder, fingers twinning. Pulling up to the cottage, they noticed the sigh of relief at the sight of Karo safe between them--calm for once.
The normal song and dance continued for the fourth time, yet this time a surprise came upon them. The people of the hamlet had noticed how much Karo looked forward to the wanders coming through, and despite being on the road most of the year, found that the two men would be the most suitable guardians of the child--if they felt up to the challenge. Not ones to jump into anything too rashly, they agreed to take her home to test things out. Two full packs were thrown in among their own as they left the following morning, three headed to the cabin nestled safely in the deep woods.
The clearing was as they left it--albeit a tad overgrown with weeds in the flower beds, and the stray branches that had fallen throughout the summer since their last stop. Seirlait stabled the chocobos as Feophaux inspected, then opened the house--letting fresh air in and starting the mechanical water pumps and letting light start to shine. The dusting could come later, as tradition a cleaning week happened the first few days of settling back in.
Karo had curled up on the stairs to the loft watching, her eyes wide at the cozy cabin and the routine dance the two occupants wove around the small space bringing bags in, smiling, teasing, and leaving gentle touches before moving to do the next step. They dragged in a mattress from the wagon, shooing the kitten off the steps temporarily to set it up in the loft, armfuls of blankets following. With all the excitement, they weren’t sure if she would settle down quickly, but it seemed that the adrenaline had faded, and she curled up in her new nest without a peep, falling deeply asleep within minutes.
The days that followed were a mix of old routines for the men, and learning how to integrate the new addition into it. They needn’t have worried, for she moved into their lives as if she belonged, always lending a helping hand, or begging for another story from the road. After she was tucked in for the night, Seir and Feo would talk for long bells about the future and what lay for all three of them. In the end, they knew where their hearts already lay and by the end of the week, Seir saddled up one of the chocobos to drop off the letter they had written and signed to be shared throughout the community. For they had set the question before her the evening prior--would she be happy to stay with them, to take on the O’dayla name and be their daughter in all but blood.
A more enthusiastic yes could not have been made, as a new family was founded.
