seasonsrpg | [Closed Log] Fireflies are stars that couldn't journey to the skies

Levi's frown darkens when the other boy touches him, but he seems to decide to allow it -- at least for a few seconds, or however long it takes him to rearrange his hands. He takes note of the new shape, memorizing it, then moves his hands apart and makes it again a couple more times to get down how it feels.

Then he turns toward the nearest firefly and catches it.

He leaves a too-big gap between his index and middle fingers, trying to get a look at his prize, and the firefly quickly wiggles back out through it, but he doesn't look too discouraged, shooting a short glance toward Erwin before trying again.

"...Levi." Just Levi.

The frown either has no effect or goes unnoticed. Erwin nods enthusiastically as Levi tries it on his own a couple times, and then gives an encouraging "Yeah, you got it!" when the smaller boy catches one on his first try.

Erwin stoops to pick up the jar again, holding it carefully in both hands and taking a step or two back to give Levi space to practice.

"Levi..." he says, trying out the sound and shape of it, and smiles. "That's a pretty name."

Levi side-eyes the other boy again. What the hell is he smiling about now? He sure seems to be doing it a lot. It's preferable to the sad expression he had a little ago, but it's weird. Nobody is that happy.

...though, he has to admit, twirling among the dancing lights and holding them in his hands feels just about what he remembers of happiness.

Not to mention... getting a compliment for his name? He never considered it anything, let alone pretty, it had always just been his name, though he supposes he liked the way it sounded when his mom said it. Now he's definitely thinking it over again, though, his face perhaps getting a little flustered, as he concludes that maybe it is a pretty nice name.

At least while he's not overthinking it...

"It's got 'leave' in it," he mutters, looking a bit deflated again, and parts his hands to let his first firefly into his jar.

How could he not be happy right now? There's millions (billions?) of fireflies, a beach, the weather is neither too warm nor too cool, and he's made a new friend.

Erwin hadn't meant to fluster him, but it is kind of cute the little flush that comes over Levi's face. He doesn't say it, though, but holds the jar steady for Levi to deposit the little creature inside, and then carefully puts the lid back on. It's got holes in it, enough to ensure airflow but not so that anyone can escape.

"Leave...?" What did he mean by that? The sound is there, sorta, but...Erwin tilts his head.

"I think it's nice to say. How do you spell it?"

Everyone always leaves.

Part of Levi wants to just say it, but another part of him refuses. He's just met this kid. He shouldn't be laying his life story at his feet, not when it could possibly be used as a vulnerability. Right? He seems so nice, though... too nice, almost.

He scoffs and grumbles something ineligible. He glances at Erwin again at the request. He... has no idea how to sound out his name, but he can write it, he's learned that when his mom was still around, even.

So he crouches down and draws his index finger through the sand, slowly spelling out LEVI in fairly neat, if a bit childish, printed-like letters.

Erwin says the letters as Levi draws them in the sand, oblivious to the fact that Levi maybe doesn't just tell him because he can't. This is better, anyway.

"L...E...V...I...Levi." He says the name carefully, like it's something special - because it is, as far as he's concerned. "There's no leeeave in it at all, silly!" He may have drawn out the vowels in the middle, just to make them sound very different, as though it's obvious.

Erwin holds their precious jar under one arm as he crouches down next to the smaller boy and writes his own name in similar letters, just below Levi's: "E...R...W...I...N."

Levi frowns, confused when Erwin reads it letter by letter, but seems to brighten up a little and give him a nod once he says it normally.

And then he huffs and elbows him in the side -- not very hard -- because he knows that, but it sounds different than it looks, so it was still a valid observation!

The frown returns a moment later, this time in concentration, his lips moving soundlessly as he reads the name, apparently prep work to make it easier for himself -- he can read, but it still takes a little more effort than might be expected for someone his age, and he still tends to read things aloud to make sure he got it right when nobody's around to hear.

"Erwin," he then says happily in one go a few seconds later, sounding almost a little proud. "Hey, that's your name." And now he knows how to write it. And their names are right next to each other. That feels... kind of nice, actually. Almost like having friends.

It doesn't hurt - if anything, it tickles, so the touch just makes him giggle a little, squirming a bit.

Another radiating smile overtakes him when Levi says his name, a warm fluttery feeling in his chest kind of like the little lightning bugs in his jar. He nods, bumps their shoulders gently together.

"Yeah!" They are friends. Erwin reaches out, draws a circle around their names, then lines radiating outward from the circle, like a sun, or a starburst. He looks at it, toes curling in the sand. It looks right.

He grins at Levi.

"Let's catch more, Levi!"

Damn, the little nerd must have more padding than Levi does at this age, and he's maybe a little irritated about his totally painful hit not being so, but the little laugh is just... endearing. Yeah, whatever then. Fine.

He stares at the drawing of the sun, not entirely sure what it is, but it does make him think of warm lanterns and also the light in the sky he saw earlier today, and that seems appropriate, somehow, for both of them. He's not sure what makes him think that, but--

He nods, reaching out to pick up his own jar from the ground where he'd placed it earlier. If they're going to be catching more lightbugs, he wants a lantern too, though he doesn't mind helping the other boy fill his up first. It's... fun, surprisingly so.

"...What're your parents like?" he finally dares, because he is curious, even if it's a painful topic for him. But it sounds like Erwin still has his, so maybe it's fine to ask, because he can't help but wonder what it's like to still have them at this age.

Well, Erwin does have more mass generally (not difficult to do, Levi is such a slight little thing), but he also might be a bit more used to bullies aiming to hurt with that kind of thing, so he might have instinctively leaned away just enough to take off any actual edge. So far, he doesn't think Levi actually means to hurt him.

If asked, he couldn't really explain the sun - it'd just felt right. A heart would, too, except that it's not the sort of thing you do with someone you just met, even if he thought about it for more than a minute or two, he'd realize that Levi feels strangely familiar.

Erwin follows Levi away from their names so they don't get trampled, and starts to unscrew his jar.

"Oh! They're the best. Papa teaches at the school - I'm in his class this year! I thought it might be weird, but it's like listening to him talk at home, too. He has a beard and wears glasses and reads to me by the fire at night sometimes. Mama is so pretty...she always wears her hair up, but papa likes it best when it's down. She's a teacher, too, but she teaches young ladies how to sew and do embroidery and stuff and how to talk - sorry, speak properly. Sometimes she she teaches me, too, and she knits me things!"

He tugs at the corner of his sweater-vest to demonstrate - see!!

"What about yours?" Because it's polite to learn about other people in return, and also Erwin is just as curious.

Well. If anybody bullies him here, he should let Levi know. :)

It does feel right, though he would likewise not be able to explain it. There's that fleeting sense of familiarity, there's the brightness of that smile, a sense of a greater purpose, somehow, but it's all smoke-like, unable to be caught or perceived.

Levi listens with some fascination. Does he even know what a 'school' is? He's probably heard about it at least, right? Just like he's heard of sun and stars, even if at this point he hasn't seen, or perhaps just doesn't remember them, but he'd probably be able to name them if he did. Even if he's never been to school himself, he can at least conceptualize it (perhaps wrongly, in part) from what he's heard of it.

That all sounds... terribly fancy, honestly, especially Erwin's mother. Who the shit cares about speaking properly? As long as you're convincing, it's fine, right? That's what Kenny always said. The vest looks nice, though. Yarn is probably something of a luxury in the Underground, but people are also much more likely to know how to sew, for example; most of the time they're making and repairing their own stuff because who can afford to go to the tailor's that often? So he probably knows about knitting, too, and he's maybe a little jealous that Erwin has something his mother made for him.

He looks down and kicks at the sand a little.

"Dead," he says simply, not wanting to get into the details, though he does add, "My mom was really pretty, too." Bet she was prettier than Erwin's, in fact, but he'll keep that to himself. He wonders if she had been able to have a life more fitting of her grace and beauty if she didn't have him.

"...what's school like?"

Oh.

Erwin softens, reaching for Levi's hand to give it a gentle squeeze.

"I'm sorry."

He's had friends who had lost one parent or another, but hasn't known personally many actual orphans, especially not his age. Many parentless children end up going off to military training when they hit twelve. That's a couple years off for him.

He smiles a little, though, nodding. "Yeah, I can tell." Because kids look like their parents, and it isn't hard to imagine looking at Levi that his mother must also have been beautiful. They both deserved to have a good life together.

Erwin lets his hand fall away, and brightens again. "It's great! You get to learn about new things and see your friends every day." Nerd alert. "Sometimes it's hard to pay attention when you have to sit still for a long time, but we get to go out and play a few times in between lessons."

Well, that sounds like yet another avenue for preying on the weak, even if it's less despicable than what the rich fucks do in Mitras and below. Still, kids are being sold the promise of a better future at the cost of signing off their lives... some of them becoming part of the problem later on, no doubt.

Not that Levi knows about any of that at the moment.

Instead, he blinks in confusion and glances at Erwin with maybe the tiniest hint of fluster, because how can he possibly know that? He's never seen her!

You can? he almost blurts, but decides it's probably just the boy's way to comfort him by not arguing.

"You could see them anyway," he points out flatly, but he looks somewhat fascinated all the same. Imagine having time to just -- sit around and learn things all day and then, as if that's not a celebration in itself, you have a break from it by going out to play some more? What world is this? It kind of sounds amazing, actually. He's always been interested in new knowledge, even if it can be pretty sparse in his experience -- unless it's something related to fighting techniques or merchant routes in the neighborhood.

"...So when do you look for food?"

He's seen Levi, and he thinks Levi has pretty eyes and a nice face, so of course his mama must have been pretty, too.

Erwin doesn't quite understand that - if he's not in school but his friends are, then he wouldn't be able to see them, and if they're not in school, they're at home or with their parents, so school is clearly the best place for seeing friends?

But it's the question that really kind of confuses him, those extra large eyebrows furrowing a little bit as he frowns.

"What do you mean? We have breakfast at home, mama makes me a lunch to take to school, and then we eat at home, after papa brings homes groceries from the market."

Levi probably thinks his eyes are plain and dead and ratty, but then, it's not like he's really had anybody comment on his appearance aside from his height anyway.

The secret is being friends with other kids who have never heard of school, Erwin. That's what Levi is used to; hell, the kids used to have their own little gangs, some of which would eventually last into adulthood. Not that he's really close enough to anybody to call them friends; Kenny is liked well enough in the Underground but he's also feared.

He blinks and tilts his head slightly, looking vaguely confused.

"You can get enough from the market for three meals and three people?" he double-checks, sort of poking at his fingers as if helping himself count one more time just in case he got it wrong. "Is your dad rich?"

That is... really not the bar for what rich is, Levi...

The more of these sorts of questions Levi asks, the more Erwin starts to put a few pieces together. His mother gone, going to look for food, not going to school, asking if his father is rich for being able to afford meals for their small family. It's maybe then that he notices a little more the condition of Levi's clothes, the thinness of his arms and wrists.

...oh.

Erwin shakes his head. "No." He pauses, frowning a little. Maybe they are rich, if Levi can't afford to buy food for himself every day. "I don't think so? There are people in the city who are really rich, though. They have big houses made out of stone and servants."

He pauses, holding the jar with a few fireflies.

"...do you want to get something to eat?"

Levi seems to contemplate something for a moment, then he scowls, folding his arms.

"They're bad people," he declares, sounding absolutely certain of it. He's about to insert Kenny's opinion about MPs next to it when Erwin mentions food and he perks up a little. Does the other kid actually have money (and Levi knows what that would mean he should do, but at this point, he doesn't want to, he likes him) or is he inviting him to go and steal something together? Hm. Either way, he's hungry, so; "...yeah. Sure."

Erwin isn't sure what to say to that comment, but it doesn't matter, because Levi's agreed to come with him. His face brightens again - he thinks he has a few coins in his pocket, a rare enough thing because papa only occasionally gave him money to go buy something for the table or for mama, and on rare instances allowed him to buy a treat for himself.

"Great! I think I saw someone with a cart down the beach, c'mon!" Hoisting his jar to under one arm, he holds his hand out for Levi to take - and regardless of whether or not he does, will begin to walk in a direction parallel to the water. There is, indeed, because rule of fun, a vendor with a little cart of things a few hundred yards away, with meat on sticks over coals and a little cold cabinet with pictures of ice cream goodies.

Levi stares at the offered hand for a few moments. Right as he considers taking it, he suddenly feels filthy, and draws his hand back to vigorously rub it on his pants and shirt, trying to wipe away the invisible grime.

If Erwin is patient, though, he will receive a hesitant hand after that... and if not, Levi will simply follow him, perhaps sulking a little over missing out that chance for human contact that doesn't hurt him in some way.

Luckily, the sight (and smell) of food will definitely distract him in a moment. Meat is a rare commodity as is, and this definitely smells better than roasted rat - but he's also curious about the cold cabinet contents. He'd like to get both - and he thinks they probably can even if they don't have enough money, but he'll let Erwin start them off in a legal way, so he turns to look at him questioningly.

What are they getting?

Erwin is patient - and he beams at Levi as he closes their hands together, giving it a gentle squeeze before taking them both down the beach. It's nice to make a new friend, especially because even if he doesn't really understand why, Levi just feels special to him.

When they get there, Erwin peers at the sign, then carefully lets go of Levi's hand to set his jar of fireflies down in between his feet and then shove one hand in his pocket. There are a few coins in there that his father gave him earlier, and while he doesn't technically have enough, the person in charge of the cart doesn't seem fussed and gives them both one meat skewer and one ice cream treat of their choice. Luckily, no stealing seems necessary this go around.

There's beef and chicken for skewers, cooked with some kind of sauce, and frozen treats made from fruit juice (popsicles) and cookies with a sweet cream in the middle (ice cream sandwiches) in the cold cabinet. It'd probably make sense to eat the skewer first, and come back for the ice cream, right? They're going to run out of hands otherwise. Probably.

Erwin picks beef for the skewer. It's tasty.

"Which do you want, Levi??"

It's odd that whatever dirt Levi is concerned about doesn't seem to bother Erwin in the slightest. Neither do his shabby clothes or just his general... runtiness, as Kenny would put it. Levi thinks he feels a little more like a real person all of the sudden.

So he follows, letting the other tug him along just so he can feel that contact more firmly, his scowl wiped off of his face in favor of something like mild surprise, perhaps even a little bit of wonder again.

He has no qualms about stealing, but the merchant seems happy enough to part with their wares half for free, which he supposes is kind enough that he won't take more from them (for now).

Unfortunately, having a choice in his food is pretty much a foreign concept to Levi, and so is both chicken and beef, so he looks between them for a moment, contemplating shoving both into his mouth and running, but he can't do that because he's still anchored by Erwin's hand, and so he turns to him for help instead.

"I don't know," he mutters. "Which one is better?"

Maybe he should just get the other kind, and then they could both have some of each? As unpleasant as sharing food sounds, it's still better than what he's used to.

There's absolutely nothing about Levi's size or his condition that bothers Erwin, other than perhaps he thinks that Levi deserves something better. Those aren't things he can do anything about right now, unfortunately. But food is, so he's happy to do even this much.

Levi's hand feels good in his - the difference in size isn't that great (not as much as it will be eventually), and they fit together easily. Erwin feels reluctant to let go at all, holding on until he ends up carrying things with both hands.

But for now he thinks a moment. "I don't know if one is better, I think it just depends on what you like - but we can get one of each and share so we both get both. Is that ok?"

Or maybe if they take too long to decide the merchant might just give both to both of them.

(Well maybe he should reconsider growing into such a humongous tree of a man-)

Levi could tell him that he likes everything that isn't rotting or moldy, but in this case neither of the options is. He could eat all of it, too, despite what his size may suggest, but if the seller doesn't cave in a few more moments he'll just mumble a sour; "Alright."

Aside from those reservations, though, he's honestly quite excited. The food smells really good, and he's never had this fancy stuff before. He's hardly even blinking as he watches the skewer move closer to him and immediately reaches out to snatch it.

(He absolutely will not bc the difference between them is ~~hot~~ charming ok-)

Unfortunately the merchant doesn't seem keen to give away more free food than they already are, so they'll just have to share, oh well.

Erwin takes them a few paces away from the cart to eat, carefully setting down his jar before taking a bite off his skewer. It's a little chewy, but still pretty tasty nonetheless. His eyes light up a little. "It's good!"

He'll finish chewing and swallowing before speaking again, asking eagerly: "How's yours?"

(Damn ok-)

Levi crouches down, carefully untucking the firefly jar from the crook of his arm and placing it next to Erwin's.

Then he inspects the chicken skewer he'd gotten, looking at it from all sides, sniffing it, all the while looking like he's been handed something befitting of kings. He feels drool gathering at the corner of his lips and quickly rubs at it with his sleeve before sticking the first piece of meat into his mouth.

"..."

Yeah, there's not going to be any waiting here. By the time Erwin asks him that question, half of his skewer is already gone.

"Mmfhm," he confirms, careful not to actually open his mouth lest any of the delicious food escapes from it, and chews faster so he can swallow it down and talk properly --

-- or just get more of it into his mouth. Yeah. Sorry, Erwin, your new friend doesn't have much in the way of table manners, but at least he does look like he's just discovered joy after finally returning from two world wars, so it probably counts for something.

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lmao baby erwin so smooth-

the smoothest~

call him pretty and tell him about school things

ok he will~

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