Zavien
Never regret anything that made you smile
The few memories that remained of his mom were ones he'd clung desperately to, but with age came the unfortunate understanding of childhood, and many of those memories were rimmed with darkness. Every morning she could, his mom had cooked what little food they had, often burning it or turning it into unrecognizable mush. She'd done it all with a convincing smile, but when he looked back, the fading features of her face were lined with worry and exhaustion, the occasional bruise peeking out from beneath her hair.
Although he did his best to focus on the smile she'd warn and the warm laughter she'd sang, Zavien could only manage an agreeing quirk of his lips, the illusion of it all having dulled with time. His head nodded in resolute understanding for Soh's loss, offering a simple explanation in three words. "I was ten." Only five years older than her, left with no family to take him in. He'd been raised by the Silk Houses after that. Sighing, he pushed off the counter. "Caido has a nasty habit of robbing people of parental figures."
Seeing that she'd finished the eggs, Zavien looked to the toaster, only to realize there was a tendril of smoke rising from it, his mind finally registering the slow intrusion of smoke. Jolting, he grasped at the lever. "Shoot! The toast!" He wiggled and fidgeted with the mechanism until the blackened bread jumped free of the machine. His hands reached for them without thought, pulling them from the heat with a seething breath of annoyed pain. They were flicked unceremoniously onto a plate where he glared disappointedly at the charred pieces. "It must have gotten stuck..." And unless Soh was willing to eat overdone toast, they were down one more breakfast item.
Although he did his best to focus on the smile she'd warn and the warm laughter she'd sang, Zavien could only manage an agreeing quirk of his lips, the illusion of it all having dulled with time. His head nodded in resolute understanding for Soh's loss, offering a simple explanation in three words. "I was ten." Only five years older than her, left with no family to take him in. He'd been raised by the Silk Houses after that. Sighing, he pushed off the counter. "Caido has a nasty habit of robbing people of parental figures."
Seeing that she'd finished the eggs, Zavien looked to the toaster, only to realize there was a tendril of smoke rising from it, his mind finally registering the slow intrusion of smoke. Jolting, he grasped at the lever. "Shoot! The toast!" He wiggled and fidgeted with the mechanism until the blackened bread jumped free of the machine. His hands reached for them without thought, pulling them from the heat with a seething breath of annoyed pain. They were flicked unceremoniously onto a plate where he glared disappointedly at the charred pieces. "It must have gotten stuck..." And unless Soh was willing to eat overdone toast, they were down one more breakfast item.
