ages - kyros 7, baseline from there

"What do you think of the 'Lurians?" Pari asked, spooning some ice cream into her mouth. "They're weird."
She, Sparrow, Kyros and the rest of the gang were sitting around Sparrow's dining table. Simona was out, working with the queen, which left the small apartment rather empty.
"I like Uzochi." Sparrow said. (edited)

plum — 01/29/2021 10:12 PM
"It's not like they ever talk to anyone," Kyros shrugged.
"I like mint. I wan' mint." Vic said for probably the sixth time in the past ten minutes, thumping his spoon against the table.

peach — 01/29/2021 10:23 PM
"Uzochi talks to me." Sparrow said again. A small smile lit upon her lips. "He's nice. I like him."
"He's old and boring." Pari decided. "And you can't have mint, Vic, it's stinky and no one likes it so we don't have it."
January 30, 2021

plum — 01/30/2021 12:36 AM
"Stinky?" This was an outrage.
"Isn't it a little weird for you to be talking to him?" Kyros pointed out.

peach — 01/30/2021 1:07 AM
"I help clean his room." Sparrow justified. "He gives me chocolate biscuits."
"Not strawberry? Lame." Pari scoffed.
Mirza patted Vic on the head and said appeasingly, "I like mint." (edited)

plum — 01/30/2021 1:34 AM
"Why are you cleaning his room?" Kyros wrinkled his nose.

peach — 01/30/2021 1:35 AM
"Cause it's my job."

plum — 01/30/2021 1:35 AM
"You're five. You don't have a job."

peach — 01/30/2021 1:38 AM
"I do too!" she protested indignantly, "Simona told me so! I have responsible-cities."

plum — 01/30/2021 11:58 AM
"You're not even in real school yet."

peach — 01/30/2021 12:01 PM
"Yeah I am! I learned counting to one hundred, want to see?" she leaned forward and splayed her hands on the table without waiting for his response. "One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten, 'leven, twelve, thirty, forty, fifty, sixty-" (edited)

plum — 01/30/2021 12:17 PM
"Hey, hey, you skipped a bunch!" He accused. "Cheater!"

peach — 01/30/2021 12:19 PM
"I'm not a cheater!" She cried. "You're mean!"
"Sparrow is a cheater, Sparrow is a cheater!" Parisa thumped her fists on the table, grinning.

plum — 01/30/2021 12:20 PM
"It's just the truth," he defended. "You have to say all the in between numbers or it's not right."

peach — 01/30/2021 12:22 PM
"You're not right," Sparrow pouted, putting her spoon down. She didn't want to eat ice cream anymore. "I did say them, I did."
"Kyros is mean," Pari declared. "And he's stupid! Stupid kyros!"
"Uzochi's smart, that's why I like him." Sparrow sniffed. "He's nicer than you." (edited)

plum — 01/30/2021 12:31 PM
"He's a dummy and a bad prince."

peach — 01/30/2021 12:32 PM
"No he's not! He's nice, he gives me chocolate biscuits and he helps me clean." Sparrow informed him hotly. "He's nice and cool."
"Uzochi's cooler than Kyros!" that was Pari, obviously.

plum — 01/30/2021 12:34 PM
Kyros could think of no bigger insult than to stick his tongue out at his cousin. On the other side of the table, the other three kids were having a peaceful discussion about ice cream flavors.

peach — 01/30/2021 12:46 PM
Pari reached over and poked his tongue, fast, before he could pull away. "You ate my germs!" she crowed.

plum — 01/30/2021 12:47 PM
"You're disgustin'!" He crowed back, face scrunching up in disgust.

peach — 01/30/2021 12:48 PM
"No, I'm Pari!"
"Do you like mint, Sparrow?" Mirza asked in his squeaky voice. Sparrow thought on it. "It's spicy."

plum — 01/30/2021 12:50 PM
"Haha," Vic crooned. "I like it."
"Mint's not spicy, it's cold." Kyros put in.

peach — 01/30/2021 12:52 PM
"Do you like it Feo?" Mirza asked. When the boy said nothing he nodded and agreed, "Me too."
"It's ice cream, it HAS to be cold." Pari said scornful. "Stupid Kyros, stupid Kyros!"
"Pari, don't be mean." one of the guards chastised. She frowned at him. (edited)

plum — 01/30/2021 1:11 PM
"Even if you eat other mint things, they're always cold." He rebutted. "Mint is cold. You're the stupid one."

peach — 01/30/2021 1:12 PM
"No it's not! You can have hot mint tea." she sneered. "Hot so it can't be cold, you're stupid!"
"I'm gonna go hang out with Uzochi." Sparrow decided, sliding out of her seat. (edited)

plum — 01/30/2021 1:13 PM
Kyros turned his attention to her suddenly, grabbing her wrist. "Hey, you can't just leave."

peach — 01/30/2021 1:14 PM
"I want to!" she insisted. "Uzochi will play games with me and he isn't a meanie!" (edited)
January 31, 2021

plum — 01/31/2021 3:17 PM
"You're the meanie for calling me mean," he accused.

peach — 01/31/2021 3:18 PM
She squinted at him, then looked mollified. "I'm sorry." (edited)

plum — 01/31/2021 3:20 PM
"It's okay. I'll forgive you if you finish your ice cream with me."

peach — 01/31/2021 3:20 PM
"Okay." she said, clambering back onto the chair and picking up her spoon. "Maybe we should invite Uzochi for ice cream!"

plum — 01/31/2021 3:21 PM
"I don't think he would come," Kyros shrugged.

peach — 01/31/2021 3:40 PM
"We won't know if we don't ask!"

plum — 01/31/2021 3:46 PM
"Well, you can ask him, then, cause I won't."

peach — 01/31/2021 3:49 PM
"I will." she replied stoutly.

Eighteen Years Later...

peach — 01/31/2021 4:23 PM
Sparrow was sitting in Kyros's office, cross-legged on the floor behind his desk as she browsed the documents in her hand. Her abstract role as a member of the palace meant that the work she rarely got was eclectic, but she was glad for something to do. The staff didn't seem to know what to make of her. She was technically under the king's command and a part of his household, but Kyros hadn't suggested that she wear the uniform. She had tried wearing business casual for a few days but the sheer amount of clothes and their constraints had felt like a straitjacket, so Sparrow had returned to diaphanous blouses and cotton shorts though she also wore a cardigan until she got inside. Kyros also didn't seem to mind that she spent most of her workday sprawled around his office since she didn't have her own. She could have asked for one, but he hadn't brought it up, and she liked being near him. They worked silently, but at least they were together. He had been a little averse to her touch initially, but being in close contact seemed to have had a remissive effect on him, to the point where she could lean against his arm while they perused papers together.

She was still living with Vic and Mala, so at least things weren't too lonely. Gaia was with them now and Vic was introducing her to the eccentricities of the tiran world. (edited)
March 3, 2021

plum — 03/03/2021 9:43 PM
Kyros was closing the last of the files on his stack as his phone buzzed on the mahogany desk. He was surprisingly on schedule.
"Meeting in ten," he broke the silence, expecting she'd know the drill by now. As much as he enjoyed her company during his administrative work for the past (decide time frame), he didn't leave anyone alone in his office for any amount of time, old friend or not. There were a lot of cozy corners to shack up in while he was out that didn't include his office though, so she could more than make do.

peach — 03/03/2021 9:46 PM
Sparrow dutifully picked herself up off the floor, stretching her arms to the sky and releasing her tension with a puff of air. "With Parisa?" She asked hopefully, even though the relationship between the cousins had barely thawed.

plum — 03/03/2021 9:48 PM
"No." He dismissed without skipping a beat. "A different thorn in my side."

peach — 03/03/2021 9:49 PM
"That's like, half the palace." Sparrow's voice was light, but it troubled her how true the words were. (edited)

plum — 03/03/2021 10:12 PM
"Now you're catching on."

peach — 03/03/2021 10:14 PM
"Can I ask which nuisance it is today?" she wondered, pulling the cardigan over her shoulders and doing up the buttons.

plum — 03/03/2021 10:17 PM
"His insufferable highness, Uzochi Lavela." He tucked his papers into the middle drawer of his desk and turned the key.

peach — 03/03/2021 10:19 PM
Sparrow's breath caught. When he looked up, her eyes were wide with delighted surprise. "Uzochi's here?" she asked, "I thought he was living in Ilurius now, for good!"

plum — 03/03/2021 10:28 PM
He brought his gaze up to examine her face. It wasn't the reaction he'd been expecting. "You know each other?"

peach — 03/03/2021 10:30 PM
Sparrow realized this a second too late and clamped her lips together in a more subtle smile, but couldn't help the surge of excitement that had shot through her veins.
Uzochi had been a priceless ally when times had gotten tough, especially since he had no reason to be... but he'd remembered the little girl he had shared chocolate biscuits with while at the palace, and he had always been kind. Still, he was just one more person she had visited rather than Kyros, as unintentional as that had been. "I saw him once in a while, when I was out at sea." (edited)

plum — 03/03/2021 10:39 PM
This fact was not lost on Kyros, who took note with a stinging feeling. "He go out sailing much?"

peach — 03/03/2021 10:42 PM
"No, we just... happened to be spit out close to Illurius. After spending a few days in the middle of the sea, we washed up on the coastline." she admitted, leaning against the wall. "When I woke up, there were Illurians staring down at us from behind their rifle barrels. We'd scared the fish away, and we were strange... but Uzochi let us stay for as long as we wanted."

plum — 03/03/2021 10:44 PM
Kyros almost scoffed at the mention of their rifle barrels. As if the Ilurian guard did any protecting of their own. "How fortunate for you." He grabbed his bag and stood.

peach — 03/03/2021 10:45 PM
Sparrow jumped up to follow him out, thinking to ask as they hurried out the door, "Kyros, do you think I could-- say hi? Really fast? I won't sit in on your meeting, obviously, it's just... it's been a while since I saw him." (edited)

plum — 03/03/2021 10:48 PM
Seeing an opportunity for information, he seized it as innocuously as he could, wondering, "How long has it been?"

peach — 03/03/2021 10:50 PM
"I don't know..." she mulled it over, trying to decide whether to fib and risk Uzochi blowing her cover, or to tell the truth and risk Kyros' wounded pride. Perhaps she could fudge it a little bit? She really didn't know. It wasn't like she'd carried around a planner while traversing the unforgiving ocean. "Maybe a couple of years..?"

plum — 03/05/2021 1:04 AM
He nodded, stepping out and locking the door to his office. "Well, maybe it'll soften him up a little, then."

peach — 03/05/2021 11:07 PM
"So why's he been a thorn in your side?" she asked, catching up to him. "I mean, aside from all the... being colonized stuff. Or is it that?"
March 11, 2021

plum — 03/11/2021 10:16 PM
"Essentially that. He hates me for all the decisions I had nothing to do with." It was all he could do not to roll his eyes. "I guess that is what happens when you inherit a regime."

peach — 03/11/2021 10:22 PM
"He's always had a strong personality. And so do you." Sparrow said pensively, crossing her arms. "And both of you like to be the leader."

plum — 03/11/2021 10:26 PM
"As it stands now, Ilurius is under Atherdale practically in name only. I don't know what more he could possibly want." He caught himself before letting too much more loose. Not that any of this was privileged information, but still, he couldn't afford to make that a habit.

peach — 03/11/2021 10:27 PM
Sparrow reached over absent-mindedly, running her hand in a small circle against his back. "Maybe his family."

plum — 03/11/2021 10:30 PM
Despite seeing her nearly every day since her arrival, her touch still sent a small jolt of panic up his spine. At least he'd learned to take it more graciously than the first time. "I'm not the one keeping them from him. But anyway-- it doesn't matter. It's nothing you need to be worried about."

peach — 03/11/2021 10:38 PM
"I know," she said, choosing not to mention that he must know how she worried anyways. "Uzochi really idolized his dad, but then King Lavela made that stupid move against Atherdale, and he called Tasia's bluff when she... held Princess Lyx hostage. I think that just shattered him."