Work Text:
"Must be nice, working in something as forgiving as farming. You can't play around when you're working with molten metal.”
Celine slowly turned away from Vera’s new products to look to the side. March was already focused on the selection of combs at the front of the booth, and standing behind him was… Ari. She had a smear of dirt across her cheekbone.
Her eyes were wide in a kind of shock, and her hands clenched at the hem of her shirt. For a moment, she stared at the back of March’s head, mouth a little agape like she was trying to say something, but she shut it tight and dropped her gaze to her shoes. Celine had never seen Ari look so ashamed. She was one of the most composed people Celine knew. Her eyes flit back to March.
And of course, his expression was completely neutral, like he didn’t even know he had said anything so rude. Like, if he did know, he would get away with it anyway. Everyone in Mistria knew he wasn’t hateful. He just had a bit of an attitude problem, right? Because he was gifted, and young, and things had been hard after the earthquake.
Ari’s eyes were wet. She swallowed hard enough for it to be visible, and started to take a step backwards.
Was Ari going to let him get away with it?
Was Celine?
She took in a sharp breath.
“March! How could you say that?!”
The volume of Celine’s voice startled him—startled herself, really—and he fumbled with the comb in his hands, but she couldn’t make herself care if he dropped the thing and broke it, or if everyone at the market was looking at her. He furrowed his brows.
“Excuse me?” he asked like she had insulted him. “What are you freaking out about?”
Freaking out? She had barely scolded him over putting down someone’s livelihood and he thought she was freaking out? Maybe she ought to show him what it would really look like! There was a flame racing up Celine’s throat, and it came bursting out her mouth like she was breathing fire.
“You—the things you say—if anyone ever said them to you, you’d be crying and throwing a tantrum on the floor!”
March’s mouth hung open, and he spluttered, clearly trying to double down, “What?! What is wrong with you?! I didn’t even say anything!”
How could he pretend like nothing happened? Could he not see how upset Ari was? Would apologizing kill him? Celine rarely argued with anyone, and her heart was already hammering against the inside of her chest. Ari tried to step forward as if wanting to defuse the situation, but Celine saw a tear sliding down her cheek, threw a hand out to stop her, and plowed onward.
“Oh no, I heard you! If you keep talking to people like that, one of these days, you’re going to get slapped! You’re gonna say the wrong thing to the wrong person because everything they do is soooo beneath you, and you’re gonna end up a smear on the pavement!”
She felt dizzy. At this point, Olric finally arrived, and carefully stepped between them. She couldn’t imagine what took him so long.
“Celine, what happened?” he pressed, with all the concern in the world in his expression. His back was to March like he was protecting him.
Your idiot brother, was what she wanted to say, but choked on the words. She threw her arms up in the air. “Ask March! Ask him to repeat exactly what he said!”
“Celine…”
Ari’s voice came weakly from behind her. There was a tug on her sleeve. Celine shut her eyes tight, let out a shaking breath, then spun on her heel to take Ari’s hand and stormed away from the market. No words passed between them as Celine led her back to her cottage. Barely resisting the urge to slam the door shut behind her, Celine let out a long sigh, and pressed her hands to her face.
Sure, she would probably regret all this. But what was she supposed to do? Gently take him to the side and explain to him how words hurt people even if he hadn’t meant to? He wasn’t Dell’s age. Dell was even more well-behaved than he was, and he should have been ashamed of that.
“Sorry, Celine.” Ari’s wobbling voice snapped her out of her thoughts. “You didn’t need to get so angry, for… for my sake.”
The world slowly came back into focus. Her cottage was quiet. Celine took a deep breath in to steady herself. There was the faint scent of soil from the plant she was repotting this morning. Ari sniffled and wiped at her eyes.
“Oh, Ari…” Celine threw her arms around Ari, who took a moment before leaning into her. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to make such a fuss. I just got so… angry, when he talked to you like that. It looked like he hurt you so badly.”
“I…” Ari took in a shaking breath. “Usually whatever crap he spouts just rolls right off. I didn’t think it…”
Her hands clenching the back of Celine’s shirt, Ari began to cry into her shoulder.
“Forgiving? He thinks I’m playing around?” she echoed March. “I feed half the town! And I’m taking care of, like, a dozen animals! They could die if I did something wrong! Does he think that doesn’t stress me out?! Does he think it’s easy?! All March does all day is make nails!”
Celine sighed, stroking her hair. “I’m so sorry, Ari. He’s such a brat.”
“Where does he think he gets the ore to make more damn nails, anyway?” Ari continued. “Is getting attacked by monsters forgiving? It’s so easy, isn’t it! March can go down there and get pelted with rocks if he finds it so easy!”
They were still standing by the front door. Celine slowly brought Ari to the couch, and they sat down side by side. She leaned back into the cushions, holding Ari close as she cried.
The truth was that Celine actually never minded March all that much. He had grown up in Mistria with the rest of them. It wasn’t like they were super close, but they had been to each other’s birthday parties when they were kids, they had eaten together, they spent time at the beach together… and even now, she could remember the way his young face had settled into something determined and tough after his parents died. He was just prickly and lonely. He hated loss enough that he typically knew where to draw the line, before he truly broke a friendship. Of course, he had gotten into a few arguments, and there was the time before the earthquake where another one of the boys got into a fist fight with him—but nobody ever really thought he would hurt someone. Everyone knew how March was. If he said something a little too harsh, they would just tease him in turn. Ari had lived in Mistria for two years. She knew what kind of person March was, and usually shot right back when he said something stupid.
Maybe that’s why Celine had gotten so angry. She was ashamed that she had made excuses for him for so long. It was like she was complicit in hurting Ari. If she hadn’t looked so upset, would Celine have defended her at all?
Clearing her throat, Ari pulled away, and wiped her nose on her sleeve.
“Sorry,” she said, voice hoarse. Her eyes were red and puffy. “I got your shirt all, um, wet.”
“Don’t worry about that,” Celine assured her. She quickly retrieved a napkin from her kitchen and handed it to Ari. “I think I’ll make some tea, would you like anything in particular…?”
“Oh, whatever you’re having is fine…”
Celine turned her attention to her tea set so Ari could clean up her face with a little privacy. The smell of the tea leaves soothed her frayed nerves.
“I just don’t get it,” Ari spoke up, voice slightly muffled into the napkin. “I’ve never done anything to him. And—okay, sure, you don’t need to have a hard reason to not like someone, but what could I have possibly done for him to… talk like that to my face? I thought were were okay now! I helped him with that… that shield award for Adeline’s parents!”
Celine had heard about that from Adeline. March asked Ari for help with the other orders when Adeline had come to them with the request. She said they worked together spectacularly. To most people, those would be signs of a friendly relationship developing. Maybe none of it meant anything to March.
Ari took a deep, steadying breath. “I just wanted to say hi. See how things were. I wasn’t going to trap him in some conversation. Nope—he came out swinging. I didn’t even know what to say. Whatever. Whatever.”
Ari went silent. Celine looked out the window. Sunlight slipped through the half-open blinds. The weather had been nice, today. It wasn’t that late, but Celine couldn’t quite see herself going anywhere at this point, or she risked getting ambushed. If it was Reina, or Adeline, or her parents maybe, she would be fine with it, but what if it was an angry March? An overly apologetic Olric, who shouldn’t be apologizing on March’s behalf in the first place? She would get too angry to face them properly. If she really wanted to do something, maybe she could sneak through Ari’s farm and go foraging south of Hayden’s place.
Ari sighed, and her voice was so soft that she must’ve been talking to herself.
“Not worth it. Nope. I just wanted to show him that I wasn’t a threat to him or this town. Two years raising this town’s rank doesn’t mean a thing to him. Forget it. Who needs March’s approval anyway?”
Celine huffed out a laugh, then cleared her throat. Maybe it wasn’t too appropriate to be giggling just yet.
The water had just started to boil when there was a knock on the door. She could hear Ari shift abruptly on the couch.
“Who is it?” Celine called out. If it was March, for any reason at all…
“It’s me!” came Reina’s voice through the door. “And Adeline!”
“We brought a little something…” Adeline added.
Celine glanced back at Ari, who was wiping her face more vigorously. She finally got that smear of dirt off, Celine noticed. Meeting Celine’s eyes, she nodded a little.
“It’s unlocked!” Celine responded, taking out two more cups for the tea.
The door slowly creaked open, and Reina and Adeline carefully stepped in. Adeline had a white takeout box in hand—it looked like one of Darcy’s pastry boxes. Ari scooched over on the couch, and Reina and Adeline hopped on the invitation to sit at her side. Adeline even squeezed herself between Ari and the armrest so that the two girls were basically cuddling with her, drawing out a laugh from Ari.
“Oh, Ari…” Reina looked over her tear-streaked face. Ari sniffed inward, glancing away in embarrassment.
“I’m so sorry I wasn’t there,” Adeline quickly said. “Olric and I were taking a dresser back to the manor from Merri’s…”
So that’s why Olric showed up so late. He and Hayden were always first on the scene of a fight, ready to separate anyone who was throwing hands. Thinking back, Celine couldn’t remember who else was around her. Her vision had zeroed in on March.
“I wanted to step in, but I was kind of in shock,” Reina said. “It’s been a long time since I’ve seen Celine get that angry.”
Celine felt her face go warm, and it wasn’t from the steaming tea. “Oh, come on.” She placed the tray of cups on the coffee table, and took a seat in her wooden chair.
“I kind of wanted to see if it turned into a fist fight,” Reina continued to joke, reaching out to get a cup. “I think you would win! You could’ve turned him into a ‘smear on the pavement’!”
Celine groaned, looking up at the ceiling, and the others laughed.
“I was really shocked you said that,” Ari said with a smile. “I think about it all the time.”
“What, vaporizing March?” Adeline asked.
“Vaporizing him??”
“Ari, you’re so strong, I think one swat from you would turn him into a mist of blood,” Reina offered.
“Not even a smear left. He’d be blown away in the wind.”
“Oh, gross. No, I meant him getting in a fight and getting pummeled. He’s got muscle from all that hammering he does, but I don’t think he’d know what to do.”
“All those nails!” Celine laughed. “You guys should’ve heard what Ari said earlier, she was really tearing into him.”
“More than you did?” Reina gasped.
“Not that much,” Ari insisted. She took a long drink of her tea, and let out an appreciative sigh. “The tea’s delicious, Celine. I really needed that.”
“I’m so glad you like it,” Celine gushed. “I had to order it special.”
“I remember you talking about that! I’m glad I finally get to try some. Here, let’s eat.” Adeline opened the box to reveal a lemon pie.
Celine started to stand, but Reina jumped up before she did and retrieved plates and utensils from her cupboards.
“I’m surprised you haven’t had like… an adrenaline crash yet,” she said to Celine.
“Is that a thing?”
“Isn’t it? Like when you get really wound up, and then your body just lets go of all that stress afterward and you, like… lose all feeling in your legs, or something.”
“Is this something you experience often, Reina?” Adeline asked with a furrow in her brows.
Reina laughed, divvying up the pie. “No, I swear this is a thing!”
They chatted over pie and tea. Celine did start to feel a little tired, as though the energy was finally leaving her. It was nice to be sitting down. Though, it meant she was finally thinking of the repercussions of screaming at March. She let the conversation meander and slow down a little before bringing it up.
“What happened after we left?”
Reina covered her mouth, finishing her bite. “Olric pulled March aside—”
“Like, alllll the way to the side,” Adeline said. “I showed up a little after you guys walked away, and Olric took March by the arm, and I think they went to the eastern road. They didn’t come back by the time we left to come here.”
“How about the kids?” Celine asked, wringing her hands in her lap. “I hope I didn’t, um, scare them or anything.”
Reina shook her head. “Maple and Luc were startled, but… I mean, you know them. Maple asked me if there was a jail in Mistria we could keep March in—”
Ari let out a bark of laughter, covering her eyes with her forearm.
“She said he must’ve committed some crime if he made you that angry,” Reina told Celine with a grin.
“Oh, and Dell was saying something about swords, but your mom kept her under control. Though, maybe she was just telling her to get one without a real edge…” Adeline mused.
“I hope Luc releases bugs in March’s bedroom,” Ari muttered.
“Juniper did offer to turn March into a toad,” Reina said. “But she also said she wasn’t paying attention to anything that was being said, so I think she just wanted an excuse to experiment on someone.”
“Yeah—” Ari sat up straight. “I’m also Juniper’s part time guinea pig! See if March finds that easy!” She muttered something Celine didn’t quite catch, and slumped back into the couch. “I don’t have the energy to deal with him.”
“We’ll protect you,” Reina decided. “We’ll form a defensive formation with an attack-Celine in the front.”
“I have a hand rake,” Celine mused. “But he’d really have to be close if I wanted to use it.”
“We have a decorative rapier in the manor,” Adeline said. “It might break if you had to use it… but then March would just have to make us another one, right?”
“Sorry, March, I had to stab you because you were being a jackass,” Ari started, “but since my weapon broke off while I was attacking you, can you make me a replacement? So I can stab you again?”
“And you have to tell him he’s soooo good at making stabby pointy weapons,” Reina said, getting another slice of pie for Ari. “Then he’ll be like…” She folded her arms and exaggeratedly pointed her nose in the air. “Hmph. I guess since you’re smart enough to recognize how talented I am, I’ll make you another rapier, and I’ll make it better than your last one that wasn’t made by me.”
That really got Adeline cracking up. Watching them discuss their potential weapons, Celine leaned forward and giggled to herself. Joking about the situation was nice. It felt like her heart was finally settling back into place. She would need to get Reina and Adeline something as thanks, later. All said and done, she would apologize to March… at some point. Any feelings of guilt toward him hadn’t quite sunk in yet, but knowing that she had people on her side made her more amenable to talking it out.
But maybe she would wait until he apologized to Ari first.
“Why aren’t we giving Ari’s sword to Celine, actually?”
“What am I supposed to defend myself with if he breaks the line?”
“I’m telling you, I don’t think he’d win against her.”
“Wait, if Juniper turns him into a toad, and Luc releases bugs into his room, he’ll have like a whole little toady ecosystem—”
Adeline cut herself off with a yelp when there was a knock at the door. Reina jumped to her feet.
“Assume defensive formation!”
“Celine, hand me my sword!”
“Here, Celine, take this knife!”
“What?!” Holt exclaimed from outside, and Celine burst into laughter.
“Coming!” she called out.