Chapter Text
Ignia curled up in the chair, the Fortemps house was warm but it was the fire crackling as the embers died out that she hoped would lull her to sleep. The manor was great and all but the beds were too big, the rooms felt too empty. The chair was smaller and cozier compared to everything. She didn’t realize just how quickly she had gotten used to sleeping in Thancred’s arms.
She tried to focus on the book in her lap, her tail wrapping around her waist as she forced herself to relax. But she startled when there was a knock on her door, “Mrreow?”
Oh, that sure was a great substitute for saying ‘come in’ like a normal person. She peeked over the back of the chair as the door opened, seeing Haurchefant step inside. She hadn’t realized he was here from Camp Dragonhead.
“My friend, I had worried that you had fallen asleep with the fire still burning when I saw the light…but it seems you were close?” Oh, it was that time already? It’s not like Ignia hadn’t noticed how someone managed to check on her every day not long after dinner time…she wasn’t that out of it! …Mostly.
“…a bit…the fire’s sounds are helpful.” She could feel her tail slowly and anxiously move from side to side as she peeked over the back of the chair at her steadfast friend.
He stepped in closer, coming up so he was standing on the side of her chair, “You seem to be not using the ever so comfortable bed, my friend. Is something wrong with it?”
Her ears fell flat against the top of her head, she didn’t want to bother him further. The Fortemps family had already done so much by giving them refuge after everything, “…the chair was just cozy tonight.”
…she was a horrible liar and she knew it from how Haurchefant frowned slightly. But the frown wasn’t there for long. “Maybe we should make some hot chocolate for you to sleep well this evening? I believe some of the others are still up, we could make a batch and pass it out?”
Ignia bit at her lip, her tail swinging from side to side at the edge of the chair. “S-sure.”
She recognized that this was an attempt to get her up and moving, which she wasn’t totally up to…but also hot chocolate . The Elezen was quick to catch onto her apprehension, backtracking. “I can always bring a mug-“
“No!” She shocked even herself with the outburst, She’d been slowly getting out of her room more, sparring with the others mainly, but she’d been like a ghost in the manor, “…teach me how to make hot chocolate with you?”
The smile that lit up Haurchefant’s face made the Seeker happy to take the leap. Though…as she looked over the ingredients set out before her in the kitchen, Ignia gulped, “I thought it was just chocolate and water…?”
“Ah, ah, ah,” Haurchefant wagged his finger at her, suddenly looking way too serious for making hot chocolate, “That is how you make a very bad quality mug of hot chocolate, my dear friend! The very best Fortemps hot chocolate is not just water and chocolate, it doesn’t even use water!”
He flourished the cocoa powder in such an extravagant manner that Ignia couldn’t help but smile. She could tell that he was going above and beyond teaching her how to make his hot chocolate. Despite the hour, he was carefully walking her through how he heated the milk so none of it burned and how to stir in the cocoa powder so that it all dissolved properly. And then…
“…marshmallows?”
Ignia stared at puffy white pieces of…fluff? (How else was she supposed to describe it?) sitting in the bowl her friend had brought out.
“That is correct! Have you not had them before?”
He looked horrified to see her shake her head and he immediately went to the cabinets to pull out more stuff. Something that Ignia noticed out of the corner of her eye horrified the one cook who was keeping an eye on them from the doorframe, “Now this! Is a Camp Dragonhead secret recipe!”
“Try one while I do this!”
Ignia stared at the pieces of white fluff before placing her trust in Haurchefant (as if he never held it absolutely). She took one of the smaller pieces and ate it whole before wincing. This was pure sugar!
She glared in the direction of a loud laugh, seeing him finish roasting one of the sugar death-bombs before turning it into the filling between two crackers and some chocolate. As he held out the sandwich to her, she stared at it warily, ears folded and tail swishing from side to side.
“I promise this is much better. I wouldn’t steer you wrong, now would I?” Oh, the audacity he had to say that after telling her to try that piece of pure sugar!
Haurchefant held out the molten looking advanced sugar bomb to her. She scrunched up her nose before taking the snack. He realized though that he was a little late in remembering, “Ah, careful, it’s ho-“
“Hothothothot-!”
In her impatience to get it over with, Ignia had bit into the sugar monstrosity while it was still piping hot. And her flailing only succeeded in making him laugh as he poured her a glass of water. As she gulped down the water, she could see Haurchefant watch her carefully through his chuckles.
Her mouth was numb from the burn but the absurdity of the whole situation caught up to her and she barely had time to set the glass down before she dissolved into laughter. Even if her mouth protested everything , she could taste some of the sweetness and ok , the crackers made it not totally a sugar death bomb.
“…there’s your sweet laughter.” She looked up in shock as Haurchefant continued, grinning, “We’ve all been worried so I’m glad to hear your laughter echo off the walls again.”
She flushed, realizing just how loud her laughter had been, “I-I’m sorry to have worried everyone so-“
He reached out and patted her head, drawing out light purrs from her at the motion, “No need to apologize, you’ve certainly had a rough time of it, but do try to show the others that you’re alright as well, alright?”
Ignia nodded, before sniffing and looking over at the stove, “NYAH! The milk!”
Both of them panicked, trying to clean up the overflowing and burning milk before it got too out of hand. Eventually though, they had finished up a whole batch of hot chocolate and…smores as he called them. Ignia had to admit that it was all very good.