silversnowfall | Appointments 2.0

In the kitchen. [Making hot cocoa, because it's cooling down outside and she figures she might as well. Ion likes it. And whether he remembers or not, kidnappings are traumatic, aren't they?]

Are you sure you feel all right?

[Ion makes a sharp turn into the kitchen, still smiling when he smells Nephry's delicious hot chocolate... but that smile wanes a bit when she speaks again. He understands why she's worried, and it'd be a lie to say he wasn't a little concerned himself, but...]

...I really do feel fine, Nephry. If I notice any changes, I promise I'll let you know.

I'm...I'm sorry I keep asking. [It's hard to immediately dispel all the worry, evidence or not.] Here.

[One mug of hot cocoa. Cinnamon, but no marshmallows.]

[He just doesn't like knowing he's making his mama worry more than she has to! ;A;]

[He takes the mug with both hands, feeling them warm back up almost instantly.]

Please don't apologize. I was gone for almost a week, after all. And I know it's unusual for someone to come back unharmed.

[--and he knows he hasn't been in the best of health lately. But that goes unsaid.]

[All at once he seems so much older.]

Unharmed is one thing. Looking healthy is quite another.

...is it that noticeable?

Anise will notice. ...And I do. But that may be all.

[She smiles, or makes a good attempt at one. Why his return weighs so heavily on her, she has no idea.]

Well, I guess as far as noticeable changes go, this one isn't so--

[A pause. And then clearing his throat. Those last few words came out... kind of squeaky.]

--bad.

Oh, dear. Another incurable condition, in the face of your sudden good health. How terrible.

What?

[It's cute how he always believes her.]

[How does Jade do this all day long? Ion's face is awful.]

It's the matching one to your changing wings, I believe. Your changing voice.

Edited 2012-10-14 07:57 (UTC)

[Not even Jade could keep up the teasing for too long with someone like Ion.]

The matching one to my-- oh.

[The next part is muttered a bit more to himself.]

Asch did mention something about this, didn't he...

Asch spoke with you about getting older?

[There was a pause between about and getting. What Nephry knows about boys and maturing is rather confined - the only one who was still nearby at Ion's relative age was Peony, and he did not like to talk about anything embarrassing with his best friend's little sister.]

Yes. He was one of the few people to explain further when I asked about my wings over the journal... even though I'm sure at the time he didn't really want to.

[Understatement.]

Then perhaps he is the best to talk about this with you again. [Since Saphir is gone and Peony or Jade would be a poor choice.]

...I'm not so sure that would be a very good idea.

[It seemed hard enough for him to talk about the first time around, after all...]

You would know better than I do. It's hard to imagine you with a deeper voice, I'm afraid.

I can't quite imagine myself with a deeper voice, either...

[Especially when he's still pretty tiny, himself. He brings a hesitant hand up to his throat.]

You don't think it'll change too much, do you?

I don't know. [Jade's voice deepened considerably when it changed; Saphir's kept much of its higher pitch. And Ion doesn't even have a father around to make a comparison.] In fact I don't even know how long the process takes.

I've heard it varies from person to person, so I don't think there's anyway of knowing how long it'll last.

[Not to mention the fact that most of the information he's found here on the subject accounts for people who age based on a 365 day year -- would it be twice as long for someone from Auldrant, or simply go twice as fast? It was hard to say.]

[He muses on that for a moment before flashing an amused smile.]

I wonder what Master Toph would say if my voice did suddenly become deeper...

Master Toph? What is she teaching you?

[...eheh.]

She used to give lessons on how to be... stronger. [Manlier.] Though she had to stop after most of her other students moved on to other things.

But even so, it doesn't feel right to call her by anything else.

Stronger? [Ion were you exerting yourself.] I think you are quite strong already.

[Well that just gets a soft laugh out of him.]

You really think so? I'm afraid Master Toph would probably disagree with you in that regard. [And Ion too. You know, depending on what kind of "strong" we're talking about here.]

But I think rather than "strength" the word I'm really thinking of is "tough".

You mean physically, I presume. [The area of toughness in which Ion most needs improvement.] How did that go?

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