Transcript:
Kenna (Murph): I've heard you bringing up like, family and stuff a lot? And… I don't-- I don't totally know how to say this, but do you think that I could show you something through like your spores thing? Do you think it works like that?
Sol (Caldwell): I mean, we can certainly try, I'm not really sure what all it's capable of, but… yeah! Let's give it a go!
Murph: You hop off the treadmill, you see Kenna walks up, puts her hands on your head, um, and then rests her head against them. And you feel a sudden [whoosh, snaps] jolt as you are pulled into one of Kenna's memories.
[The Gunslinger's Girl plays softly in the background]
Murph: And you see Jaina Bronzebeard, looking over some kind of city plans in her study in like the Irondeep Castle, she's looking all stressed out. And then you see… Kenna enters the room. You see Kenna is wearing like, civilian clothes, just like a regular tunic and no plate mail. And Jaina goes--
Jaina (Murph): Shouldn't you be out in the yard sparring?
Murph: And Kenna looks down.
Kenna: I'm.. I'm leaving Irondeep. My… My father's been sending me money, and I-- I bribed one of the couriers and they… they told me where I could find him. So I'm-- I'm gonna go to Ezry. And I'm gonna look for him.
Murph: Jaina puts down her work and nods, and sort of crosses her arms and thinks and goes--
Jaina: Well has, um, has he reached out to you at all? Or… or are you the one that is doing all the work?
Murph: And Kenna looks down again, kind of not wanting to answer. And Jaina gets up from her desk, walks around, and kneels next to the young squire. And goes--
Jaina: I will not tell you what to do. If you choose to go to Ezry to look for him, I will charter the airship myself. But I-- I wanna tell you something. I have had two little sisters in my life. One shared a family name with me, and the other did not. One liked jewels in her beard and music and dancing, and the other liked hammers and plate mail and sparring.
Murph: And she sort of pats on Kenna.
Jaina: And she wanted very much to be a knight. I would hate to see her throw that dream away. And I would hate to lose another sister.
Murph: Kenna just breaks down crying and buries her face in Jaina's chest, and Jaina brings her in, kind of holds her for a moment, and then Jaina pulls back and makes eye contact with her, and goes--
Jaina: The gods do not decide who is and isn't family.
Murph: And you [whoosh, music ends] come out of the trance, and see Kenna standing there, kind of awkwardly and teary eyed.
Kenna: So, yeah, that's… just, I thought maybe…
Sol: No, yeah, no, that's--
Kenna: Yeah.
Sol: I know that you call yourself a squire but… I can see it, everyone can see it, you've got a knight's heart beating proudly under that iron.
Kenna: Thank you for saying that, Mr. Bufo! And--
Sol: Just call me Sol.
Kenna: (laughs) That's gonna be a hard habit to break Mr B-- Sol. Sol. [Caldwell laughs]
Murph: And you see she goes over to her like, pack, and she goes--
Kenna: Anyway, I-- I found some old books in the equipment bags.
Murph: And you see she pulls out a copy of The Boy Wizard and his Frog Pal. And she hands it to you.
Sol: Oh! Oh gosh, this old thing.
Kenna: Hey man, I know the monsters weren't real at Launchpad, but I thought the main characters were very believable as brothers.
Sol: You're right. Thank you for reminding me, you know, no matter how much we loose, we gotta hold on to what we have and we gotta… double down on those connections. I'm really glad that we got to meet you. I'm really glad you're here.
Kenna: Thanks big bro!
Murph: Um, gives you a big hug.
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untitled ficlet #337
The last time that Calder Kildé had been in the Frigid North, it had been before he left for Ezry. He knew returning that things would certainly be different, but some things would always stay the same.
The brutal cold was strangely welcome, despite the reminder of the endless time trapped in Ultris’s helm. It was home.
During the first few weeks he spent in Ezra’s temperate dome, of always warm yet not too hot days, he had felt uncomfortable. The training to become a Synth Knight was already tough, made more wearing by the heat he was unaccustomed to. Though he had gotten used to the unending mild weather, he was almost looking forward to the harsh winds against his face and the crunch of snow under his feet.
As the Egg drifted into the rivers of the Frigid North, Calder could feel the chill of the nearly-frozen water permeating through the metal exterior. Though, if Sol’s knit crop-top was anything to go by, the rest of the Duck Team couldn’t.
He sat with Sol and Callie as they cooled down after an invigorating kettlebell workout. Calder pressed his back against the metal, cold where his neck was exposed.
“I’ve visited the Winter Court back in the Feywild, but I haven’t spent much time on the mortal plane in winter. Not outside Ezry, at least,” Callie was telling Sol.
“Oh, man, the Winter Court must be really pretty. Like all those Crickmas cards,” he replied.
“I heard it used to be awful when Queen Ezra the Unkind used to rule. Now with Queen Joyvre, it’s more of a winter wonderland.” She turned to Calder. “Maybe we can stop there when we go to the Feywild. You know, if you feel a little homesick after leaving your family again.”
Calder figured it wouldn’t be much of the same thing. But the light in Callie’s eyes, sparkling like freshly fallen snow in her re-emerged winter eladrin form, made it hard for him to say anything but, “That’d be nice.”
“Then we can get multiple uses out of those winter clothes Ursea gave us,” Sol pointed out.
From the other side of the Egg, Kenna looked up from where she was breaking off chunks of a granola bar to feed to Gunk. “Do you think those clothes will be enough to keep us warm, Mr. Kildé?”
“During the day, maybe,” he answered. “It’ll be much harder to stay warm at night.”
Sol stood up. “Then I guess I better get a headstart on knitting us some blankets!”
Kenna shot Calder a pained look. He quickly intervened, if only for her sake. “We’ll just make a fire.”
“Ooh, or I can make some wintery tiny huts!” Callie exclaimed.
It was quite nice to imagine, actually - just the four of them with hot cocoa, escaping the elements with style. He had always wanted to take Sol and Callie to visit his hometown, though he had hoped it would be under less dire circumstances. It wouldn’t quite be the winter wonderland they were dreaming of. But going home seemed better with them by his side.
“Fine. No blankets,” Sol conceded.
“Well, we could still use some blankets to use in the hut,” Callie said. Though she didn’t say, Calder could guess she was thinking along similar thoughts to his - if he was busy knitting, at least he wouldn’t be worrying about Swag. And he had thought his family reunion would be awkward because he had to ask about the magical artifact they’d never told him about.
As Foster tried to steal the remnants of the granola bar in her hands, Kenna still looked worried. He couldn’t tell if it was about the squire’s aversion to knitted attire or the possibility of freezing to death. If it was the latter, he couldn’t blame her. As part frost giant, the cold posed less of a threat to him as his warmer friends.
It was a stark difference from how he’d lived here growing up - shielded by his family, told he was too small and weak to brave the elements too much. Now, it was his duty to make sure they made it to the Ice Knife safely. The protected now became the protector, Calder figured.
The Frigid North would never thaw or be less brutal, but he was stronger than the half-giant he’d been when he left it - especially with Duck Team by his side.
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