Chapter Text
Eizen combed a lock of golden hair behind his ear as he scanned the room for what felt like the three hundredth time that day. It's not like him to just leave his stuff in random places, he knew that, but a pair of old boots don’t just walk away, do they? A series of slow, loud thunking sounds filled the room. Eizen turned around to see little Edna, her tiny pigtails bouncing with each step, a wide grin on her face and her feet swamped in two blocks of black fabric almost the size of her head.
“Edna, have you seen my boots? I just can't find them anywhere!” He made an over exaggerated face and looked around the room with wide eyes. Edna let out a little giggle and bounced on the tips of her toes. He stares off over her shoulder, focused in on a nonexistent spot near the corner of the room. “Oh wait, I think I see them...” His voice trails off as he approaches Edna’s side, like he's about to walk around her. A curious and confused Edna turns her head towards the place where Eizen was looking, and with her distracted, he plucks the child off the ground and swings her around in his arms. “Gotcha!”
“Eizen!” Edna shrieked and gripped his shoulders tightly with her little chubby hands. Eizen’s oversized boots fall off her feet and onto the ground with a thud. Eizen placed her gently back onto the floor, and she stared at him with an indignant pout on her face.
“Aww, what’s the matter?” Eizen crouched down to her level. Edna’s head turned away from his gaze stubbornly. “Oh, come on Grumpypants,” he pokes at her sides. “Tell me.”
Edna turns her back to Eizen and sighs. “I wanted to wear your boots today,” she replied quietly. Eizen gave her a warm smile and pulled her over to him with an arm over her slim shoulders. She still refused to look at him.
“Now see, that wasn’t so bad,” Eizen turned her over gently so she was forced to look into his sapphire eyes. “They’re still a little bit big for you to wear just yet.” He tapped the edge of his finger on his jaw in thought. “Here, when you get a little older, I’ll let you wear my boots.”
“But that’s too long!” Edna whined.
Eizen laughed at his little sister’s behavior. “Okay, okay, just sit here for a sec.” She hesitated for a moment, then slowly plopped down in front of Eizen so they sat face to face in the middle of the floor. He picked up the fallen boots and pulled them onto Edna’s feet. The boots were heavy and absurdly huge on Edna. It looked like two black blob hellions had attached themselves to her legs and were now swallowing her up to her knees.
“Edna?” He paused. “You have extra ribbons in your trinket box, right?”
“Ummmm…” She put her hand on her chin in thought. “Lemme go check!” She got up and ran towards a little wooden box on the vanity in their room. She picked through collections of pretty stones and seashells they found together on some of their previous outings and tugged up two more ribbons, the same bright green that shone in the ribbons on the pigtails she wore and accented the oceans in her eyes so wonderfully.
“Perfect,” Eizen said with a smile on his face. “Now, bring those over to me.” She gently laid the ribbons onto his hand. She stuck her foot out, still being swallowed by his boots, and he tied the legs of the boots up to her knees with the green ribbon. She lifted herself off the ground and pranced and twirled around the room, testing the boots out.
“I love them! Thankyouthankyouthankyou Eizen!” She wraps her arms around his waist and squeezes.
“Now remember Edna, you can only wear them for today. Otherwise you’ll be tripping all over the place.”
“What are we doing today, Eizen?”
He flashes Edna a devious grin. “It’s a surprise.”
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Eizen and Edna sat crouched behind a table in the middle of a pitch black dark room. Eizen was perched on the tips of his toes, at the ready, but Edna sat directly against him, knees hugged to her chest.
“Well, you ready, Eddy?” He whispered to his little sister. She shifted in her place, but gave no other response. “Nervous?” He added. She nodded. “Come on, sis, he's not gonna get mad or anything, I promise.”
“Okay,” she mumbled, her voice muffled by her knees. Just then, they heard the doorknob turn. Both fell silent as a figure pushed open the door. Stepping in, the bucket of water fell from its perch on top of the door and crashed onto their head. The stranger yelled, now soaking wet with ice cold water, and Eizen laughed hysterically as he pushed the curtains out from the windows, illuminating the room and the poor victim of their prank.
“Happy birthday, loser!” Eizen shouted teasingly to Zaveid, who stood at the doorway grinning and wringing his soaked hair.
“Bucket of water above the door. Classic.” Zaveid laughed. “Come on, you're more creative than that!”
A string of childlike giggles burst out from behind the table. Zaveid peered over Eizen’s shoulder. “Now, what do we have here?” The giggling stopped, and he approached the table and scooped Edna up in his arms. “Hey Eizen, look! I just caught a baby goblin!” Edna began trying to swing her boot-clad feet at Zaveid, and even after he set her down, she continued her assault.
“No fair Zaveid! You're mean! Meany-Zaveidy!”
Eizen and Zaveid laughed even harder. “So Eizen,” Zaveid ignored the childish nickname. “Decided to let the little kiddo borrow your boots again?”
“I don't mind, really,” Eizen replied. “They're pretty old, and they're getting too small for me anyway. And she really likes them, so might as well put a smile on her face.”
“Aww, what a softie.” Zaveid put his arm around Eizen’s shoulders.
“Shut up.”
“Woah, woah, cold dude! That's so unbecoming of a young man.”
Edna’s cheeks puffed out. “Eizen isn't even a grownup yet. You either, Zaveid! You're still a Teeny-Meany-Zaveidy!”
“Well, we're gettin’ there, Blondie.” Zaveid looked between Eizen and Edna. “So Eizen, I found a place that might interest you and the little kiddo. Wanna check it out?”
“Well, I'm up for it. How about you, Eddy?”
Edna pouted. “I guess I could. For you, Eizen. Not Zaveid.”
“Aww, harsh, give Teeny-Meany-Zaveidy a break.”