A Flower Blossoms
Rating: G | Category: Gen | No Warnings Apply | Posted November 27th 2023
Horace & Cassiopeia | Literally just 400 words of Horace and baby Pea being cute
A day in the life of the Sage of Ages and his Student
Horace has traveled across all of Ni no Kuni, but he still has to admit that the spring days of Nazcaa are his favorites. Away from the extremes of frigid Yule winters or blistering Mamooni summers, Nazcaan springs were perfectly pleasant. Days like these are best spent walking around the royal gardens and admiring the newly blooming flowers - which Horace is currently doing.
In one of his arms he held little Pea. He can't believe she's only a few months from one year old already! It only seems like yesterday she was a tiny, swaddled newborn. Nonetheless, a lovely day such as this calls for a moment in the gardens, especially with Pea, who's already taken a liking to flowers. Horace sits down on a garden wall and admires the blossoms around them.
"The flowers are beautiful, don't you think?" He uses his free hand to gesture to one of the flower patches. "Those are called daffodils."
"Daabaadaaaa" Pea babbles, and Horace smiles.
"Yes! Daffodils! Aren't they pretty?" His hand moves to another patch, "those are lilies of the valley, but I'm afraid that's a bit too much for you." Horace watches her try and stumble her way through the phrase anyway with little luck as he turns around to the bush behind them. "And, of course, we have the roses..."
Pea stares at the rose bush, and Horace has to quickly stop her hand from reaching towards it. "Little one, I ask that you do no-ah." Horace squeaks out the last part as Pea decides to make the target of her iron grasp one of his sideburns.
"Pea, we don't-" He's struggling to get her hand off him. Gods, he's seen grown men with weaker grips. "Pea, that h-hurts quite a bit." He pleads, but his prayers fall on deaf ears, at this point he just wants her attention again. "Pea, Pea, Cassiopeia-"
Finally, he's let go. Horace rubs his cheek as he notices that Pea is still staring directly at him.
"Peeeeeee-Ah! " She repeats back to him. "Peee-ahhh! "
Horace blinks before suddenly beaming with joy.
"You're right! That's your name! Cass-ee-oh-pee-ah! Cassiopeia! Apologies that it's quite the mouthful for you now, but you'll grow into it." He explains, and as Horace watches the toddler try and babble her way through her full name, he can't help but feel all the love in the world.