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“I say, does this recipe require that much pumpkin?”
Weiss hovered aimlessly above Nier and Yonah, his tone obviously referring to the ingredients that were splayed across the table.
“It does! It’s a pumpkin pie, after all.”
Yonah huffed, making uneven slices of pumpkin as she spoke. Nier gave Weiss a concerned look before shrugging. There wasn’t much he could do, or at least much that he didn’t want to say in fear of upsetting Yonah.
“So what is the occasion for such a pastry?” The grimoire sighed wearily. “The effort you both are putting into this is quite unnecessary.”
“It’s not unnecessary, Weissy!” Yonah huffed again. “It’s just that I wanted to make something nice.”
“Well, that’s very thoughtful of you, Yonah.”
Nier patted her on the back, a warm smile on his face as he gazed at his daughter. Yonah smiled back at Nier before continuing to create chunks of pumpkin.
“I’m sure Emil and Kainé will appreciate the gesture.”
“I hope so! I wish we had enough for a cake instead though…”
While they did have an abundance of pumpkin, they did not have enough ingredients for any sweeter kinds of pastries. Settling for a pie seemed like a good solution, but what was meant to be a pie turned out to look similarly to a disaster of tragedies only found in the pages of long forgotten tomes.
But Nier did not have the heart to tell her, for she was putting in this effort for a friend she writes to and a woman she knows very little of.
“It’s the thought that matters most, Yonah.” He cleared his throat. “Plus, you’ve really improved your cooking the last time you tried.”
Her eyes lit up as the hovering grimoire could not believe his metaphorical ears.
“Really? Thanks, dad!”
With new vigor, Yonah continues to be hard at work while Nier sighed. Weiss hovered towards the man, his voice slightly lowered so that Yonah would not be disturbed by their conversation.
“So what brought this on in the first place? I don’t suppose it’s purely for fun.”
“Why don’t you ask her yourself, Weiss?” The man crossed his arms as he gazed gently at his daughter. “Besides, isn’t it nice that she’s having fun?”
Weiss couldn’t really argue with that, but the vague notion of fun and the intricacies of emotions were beyond him…at least in this instance.
“Perhaps, perhaps.” He grumbled. “Though I don’t expect the hussy to appreciate the young girl’s hard work. Emil might, if not out of pity.”
“Hey, don’t be like that.” Nier says that, but he’s been through the wringer with Yonah’s cooking before. Even so, the man had no courage to discourage Yonah.
“Dad! Weissy! If you’re just gonna talk, then get out!” Yonah whined, her arm trembling from how vigorously she was cutting up the pumpkin. “At least help me with the dough!”
“Sorry, sweetheart.” Nier uncrossed his arms and immediately approached the table, kneading the dough. “Hey, look at that. Your pumpkin cuts are a lot cleaner than last time.”
“Heh, Devola showed me a new technique on cutting up big fruits!” She grinned. “Maybe I can help out with the lady at the tavern when I’m older!”
Nier smiled, wiping a flour-covered hand and petting Yonah on the head. “Of course. I can’t wait for you to become a famous chef.”
Weiss groaned from the sweetness of the scene, but he didn’t completely dislike it. These moments of peace were more desirable than battles or torment of the bleak world they live in. No, he wouldn’t want to ruin such a scene. The book leans in, staring at the pumpkin cuts.
“Hmm, I dare say Yonah may be better at the blade than you are, my friend.”
Yonah stifled a giggle as Nier pretended to make an offended expression at him. The playfulness of the neverending day continued, with mishaps around and laughs to be had. Mistakes were the norm, and while the taste had barely improved, the memory of such an event would be something never forgotten between them.
“Dad, will you bring it to Emil and Kainé for me?” Yonah had to ask, as she knew of her own limitations and didn’t want to cause her father any more trouble for now.
“Of course, Yonah.” He gave her a gentle hug. “I’ll tell you all about their reactions. Maybe next time, they can come to the village.”
He says, but there’s a reason why the two couldn’t enter the village. Even so, he would try and continue to convince Popola and Devola to allow Kainé to at least enter his home to meet Yonah. For Emil…it would be a different story.
“I hope so!”
“Hopefully that woman can wear something more fitting to social norms should she be granted entry.” Weiss floated with a twirl in the air, his voice having a bit of weary playfulness to it.
Nier shook his head at Weiss, but most of his focus turned to Yonah. She was already falling asleep, her eyes slowly closing and her body mostly leaning onto her father now. Effortlessly, the man picked her up and cradled her in his arms as he took her upstairs with Weiss close behind.
“Get some sleep, Yonah. You had a productive day today.” Nier smiled at her as she curled up in bed, bringing the blanket up to her chin.
“Mmn, good night…” Yonah murmured sleepily, almost immediately drifting off to bed after she spoke.
Nier let out a sigh of relief. The whole day, he was worried that the Black Scrawl would be a problem today, as it usually was, but the symptoms were mild, if almost non-existent today. He cherished these kinds of days, as it meant Yonah didn’t suffer for a long period of time.
“Now, shall we deliver this monstrosity to our friends?” Weiss broke the silence. “Edible or no, tis a waste to not consume this culinary gift.”
“Yeah, let’s go.” Nier chuckled, making sure the pie was tucked safely away in a leather bag before he prepared to leave.
“So why the fuck are we here again?”
Kainé huffed as she followed Nier and Weiss inside the mansion, quietly greeting Sebastian and entering the dining hall, clearly unhappy from being woken from her nap. Still, she seemed to follow along when the duo mentioned Yonah and Emil in their apologies to her.
“It’s a surprise, a good one.” Nier explained again, but Kainé was still not pleased with the answer.
“If it’s a shitty surprise, then I’m going to cut your dick off and rip his pages out.”
Nier shuddered. Even if it was meant to be a hyperbole, there was never any telling with her. Weiss, however, seemed unfazed.
“I would like to see you try, hussy!” He taunted. “I can fly faster than you can catch me, so don’t even humour the idea you could even touch my pages.”
“Yeah yeah, stupid book.” Kainé grumbled, tightening her grip on her blades.
“Calm down, you two.” Nier broke the tension. “Let’s just wait until Emil gets here.”
Almost on cue, the young-looking boy entered the dining hall with Sebastian close by. His movements were slow, but deliberate. He had lived in this mansion long enough to have a good feel for the interior furnishings, so navigation wasn’t an issue unless things were moved around.
“Uhm, hello.” He greeted them, sitting down at the table with them. Sebastian bowed and went to leave, but Nier gave him a wordless nod to a chair for the man. He would be included in this endeavor, of course.
“Good day to you, Emil.” Weiss greeted him back. “So sorry to have bothered you on your schedule.”
“Ah, it’s not a trouble! I came as fast as I could.” Emil stammered a bit, but Weiss was not fazed here either. “So, what’s the occasion?”
“Well…”
Nier brought the leather bag to the table and slowly unveiled the pumpkin pie. It was well kept, keeping the shape it had when it was freshly made at home.
“…A fucking pie?” Kainé raised her eyebrow. “Is that the important thing you wanted me for?”
“Well, it’s a pie Yonah made. For everyone.”
Kainé’s expression softened for a moment but quickly returned to her usual scowl. Emil seemed somewhat confused for a moment before it clicked, with Sebastian having a soft smile as he noticed his young master’s internal thoughts.
“I’m pleased to know that she would go to such lengths for us all.” Sebastian chuckled. “Any homemade dish is always a gentle gift.”
“Well, it better be a bitchin’ pie, or else I’m going home.” She says, but Kainé looked somewhat curious about the pie either way.
“Just consume the damn pastry already.” Weiss grumbled. “It won’t be delicious if it becomes stale.”
It was a challenge to get even slices for everyone, as chunks of pumpkin were spilling out of the breading. It is hard to create a pie without the prerequisite recipe, so perhaps for an attempt it seemed to be alright.
“Oh! This is an interesting texture.” Emil smiled as he ate it, surprised but not disliking the pie.
“It’s pretty fuckin’ good.” Kainé spoke with half of her cheek stuffed, something almost resembling a smile on her face as she ate.
“Indeed. Her efforts have brought something delightful.” Sebastian chuckled as he ate.
Weiss let out an audible groan.
“I see that either Yonah has genuinely improved her cooking or you all have strange tastes.” The grimoire spoke in an unpleasant tone, but he wasn’t exactly making fun of Yonah’s cooking either. In fact, the book seemed to be quite pleased with the reaction, though not as pleased as Nier was.
The tasting of the pie went without a hitch, for the most part. Kainé had eaten the most out of them all, a satisfied expression on her face as she sat back.
“Some damn good pie. You should let her cook more.”
“Maybe I should.” Nier laughed with a face full of relief. He looked over to Emil and Sebastian, who had just finished their pieces.
“She’d be happy to know her gift to you all went well.”
“Of course! Homemade food is always good. I can tell she put a lot of effort into it.” Emil held a smile on his face, with Sebastian nodding as he cleaned up the plates.
“Effort is definitely the key factor here.” Weiss interjected. While not dejected by the fact he couldn’t partake in the food, he seemed to be enjoying the calm atmosphere. “Now that we’ve delivered your daughter’s pastry, shall we be off then? There’s always work to be done, it seems.”
“What, that’s it?” Kainé sat up. “You woke me up for a fucking pie?”
“Unless you want to wait outside the village to aid in menial tasks for if and when we have to leave the gates of the village.” Weiss flipped his pages nonchalantly, making Kainé roll her eyes.
“Fine, fine. I’m at least awake enough to do some heavy lifting. Think of it like compensation for the good food.”
Emil chuckled a bit at the banter before turning to where he heard Nier’s voice.
“Sebastian and I finished writing another letter to Yonah, could you give it to her?” He said, slowly taking out a slightly crumpled letter out of his suit and sliding it towards Nier.
“Of course. She’s eager to know what you two have in store.”
Since it was revealed that Sebastian had wrote those letters, him, Nier and Emil had decided to continue writing letters to Yonah if only to give her another reason to smile in the day. After all, she did needed some friends her age, and Nier couldn’t keep her from wanting to connect with other people. He takes the letter, but only after he makes sure there’s no pie crumbs in the leather bag.
“Do come back soon, sirs and madam.” Sebastian bowed. “Tis always a pleasure to have you three as guests. Should her condition improve, please do bring your daughter to come visit as well.”
“As soon as Yonah is fit enough to leave the village, this’ll be the first place I’ll bring her.” He said, knowing full well that he would probably dispatch any and all Shades or wild beasts in the area that could even exist as a threat to her.
“I can’t wait to meet her.” Emil was excited at the prospect of meeting his now-pen pal, especially since it feels as though they were already somewhat close as friends now. “Have a safe trip back home, you two!”
“See ya.” Kainé waved her hand, already making her exit after greeting him goodbye.
Weiss and Nier soon left after, the never-ending daylight seemingly not as harsh as it felt on other days.
“Kainé.” Nier spoke up. “You know, Yonah really wants to meet you too.”
“Yeah?” She crossed her arms behind her head. “Well, hope she’d be disappointed that I’m not exactly great with kids.”
“She already thinks you’re….cool.” He tried, but Kainé just shook her head.
“Nah, it sounds lame coming from your ugly ass.” There was a teasing tone to her words this time around. “But maybe. If she makes more good pies, I’ll be assed to come over.”
“Only for pies? You truly are a glutton, both for food and for battle.” Weiss huffed, floating above Kainé only to get slapped by her. “Ow! You-!”
“Cut it out, book.”
The back and forth between Kainé and Weiss continued, with Nier watching with a gentle smile. He imagined what Yonah’s reactions and expressions would be like if she watched this unfolded, wondering if she would enjoy the banter or if she would try and keep the peace. Either way, the day when Yonah can be fully recovered and experience the world without a single worry in her life…
He can’t wait for that day to come, for Yonah to have people she can be close with outside of him.