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Veigue's smile was different now. Less guarded. More sincere. Softer.
It's a smile Claire had been trying to goad out of him since childhood, consistently meeting his quiet stiffness with warm enthusiasm. Through years of effort, she watched as his walls didn’t so much fall, but shifted. Her, her family, and a few select residents of Sulz were let inside to some degree, but the walls stayed staunchly in place. The rest of the world - a frightening unknown - would be kept out.
But now, when she looked at him, things were different.
Around the table, his smile was reflected on everyone’s face. The exact shape was transformed by each individual’s personality–Mao’s was boyish, Hilda’s reserved, Eugene’s understated, Annie’s gentle, Tytree’s wide, and Claire’s own uncontainable–but the warmth they all conveyed was palpable. They held the crisp air of Sulz at bay as homemade dishes passed around the table, their conversations weaving amongst the rafters of Claire’s home.
A year ago Claire wouldn't have imagined this to be possible. For all the comfort Sulz afforded her and Veigue, the mountains ringing the village acted as a physical wall between them and the outside world. She had managed to find friends inside that wall, but Veigue always seemed to struggle, his inability to articulate his feelings well hampering any progress.
And yet here they were. Surrounded by people that matched Veigue in his stride and yet pushed him to be better.
Surrounded by friends.
She watched as his smile soured into a frown when Tytree hooked his arm around his shoulder, Mao breaking into a made-on-the-spot song about…well, honestly, she wasn’t sure. However, even as the smile dropped from his lips, it didn't leave his eyes. Most people probably wouldn’t notice, but she could tell by the wrinkles in his nose and the arch of his eyebrows. Perhaps to make up for his smile being physically gone, hers widened.
Almost immediately, Claire heard excited shuffling from the other side of the table and turned to see Annie looking her way as she whispered into Hilda’s ear. When they noticed her gaze, Annie quickly pulled away, her cheeks flushed a stark pink. In contrast, Hilda just gave a knowing half-grin as she lifted her glass in a pantomime of a toast. From next to her, Claire hears Eugene chuckle lowly to himself. She knew all too well what they were whispering about, but all she gave away was a vague, answerless smile.
A lot has changed since the day she was saved from the ice. Only time would tell if their relationship was one of those things.
Partially to tease them, she took this opportunity to stand from the table and head to the nearby kitchen. A trio of gossiping voices followed at her heels. With a little smile to herself, she grabbed the pièce de résistance of the evening. Flaky crust, symmetrical lattice crossing over the top, golden colored peach compote - it wasn’t as perfect as the ones Auntie Popora made, but Claire had confidence this peach pie was something special.
As she made her way back to the table, an almost reverent hush fell over her group as each noticed what she was carrying. A giggle blossomed in her throat once more, but she held it back, enjoying the impromptu pomp and circumstance of the moment. When she set the unassuming treat down on the table, it prompted a whoop from Tytree and applause from Mao that she answered with a flourished curtsy.
With all eyes on her, she began to slice the pie. The knife cut easily through the crust into the compote below and when she placed that first slice onto a plate, everyone joined Tytree and Mao in their ooh-ing. This time she didn’t hold back her giggle as she began slicing the next piece. She used to make sure everyone’s slices were about the same size, but over many monthly visits, she had come to learn her friends’ preferences. Hilda and Eugene wanted smaller slices, with Annie’s only a little larger than theirs. In contrast, Mao, Tytree, Veigue, and herself required larger slices.
She handed the first slice off to Tytree and watched out of the corner of her eye as it made its way down the table to finally rest in front of Eugene. Even without her specifying who the plate was for, it made its way to its intended recipient. She had thought it impossible for her smile to be any wider, but the corners of her mouth found a way to quirk up even more.
As she stepped back from her work, her own plate in hand, she gave a warm, “Please, dig in!” and watched as everyone quickly obliged. Much like their smiles, the way they chose to eat their dessert varied wildly from person to person. However, the constant around the table was the sparkle of joy in their countenance and movements.
It was the kind of joy that could only be found when sharing a meal with loved ones.
Claire placed a small bite into her mouth, her mind immediately setting to work finding flaws to improve her next attempt. Definitely needed a bit longer in the oven and more sugar in the compote. As her mind whirred, her eyes settled on Veigue once more.
He dutifully ate his slice of pie. To anyone else, his movements might come across as overly practiced or mechanical, but she could tell by the way he kept adjusting his fork that he was having a hard time holding back his excitement. She also noted how large each bite he took was. In the dim lighting of the house, his small smile and gentle eyes seemed to almost glow. She smothered a fond chuckle with another bite of her own slice.
Veigue had changed.
She had changed.
A year ago she had been saved from her icy tomb by the violence of raging flames and a pointed sword. However, it was the warmth found in this moment that melted the statis holding them both back and allowed them to become better people. Growing, changing, healing - it was never easy. However, neither of them had to do it alone. With a tableful of friends and a peach pie at their side, they would step forward into the future.
Together.