Prompt: Heropulchure 2

Her feet swung back and forth against the porch frame, a hand set firm on the wooden floor and another holding a quickly melting ice cream cone. She'd just gotten her allowance earlier that day, and she wanted to get something cool to help fight the summer heat. The fact that that something came in chocolate flavor was a plus as well. Hero munched on the waffle cone in between long licks of ice cream as she watched the streets beyond her porch.

It was getting to be what her mama called "work traffic" and people were moving all around Swordhaven to head home, or get a bite to eat. Of course, Hero didn't see much of that rush from her porch in the residential district, but she did see some of her neighbors heading out into town. She made sure to wave at them, but she didn't get very many waves back.

The rest of her ice cream came and went, and after licking the remaining sugar from her fingers Hero decided to see what shapes she could make from the clouds. A pony, a dragon, half of a balloon…. She'd caught sight of one that she couldn't decide between King Dinkelheim's beard or that purple thing she'd found in Mama's drawers when a voice brought her back down to street level.

"Hey, kid; didn't anybody ever tell you not to stare at the sun?"

Hero squealed and jumped down to the street. "Hi Valen! Did you just get back from training?" She jumped into his outstretched hands and he swung her once around before placing her back on the grass.

"Yup," the knight apprentice answered, "Sir Dar noticed that I'd sprained my wrist and sent me home early. Well, " he winced, "after he gave me a twenty minute lecture about taking care of myself better and not ignoring my wounds."

"You sprained your wrist? Then how come he sent you home instead of hand you a healing potion? That's what my teacher did when Green sprained his ankle," Hero asked, confused. Valen paused for a moment and muttered something about multiple strikes and hard knocks.

The knight apprentice stretched and rolled out his shoulders. He stuck a thumb out at his house, just three doors down from Hero's. "Well anyways, it was nice seeing you. Tell your folks I said hi, okay?"

Hero nodded and waved him off. She started up the steps to the porch—then stopped. Something wasn't right.

"Hey Valen!" she called, "How are you supposed to make yourself dinner if you're not supposed to move your wrist?"

"I'll figure something out!" he called back.

That… Hero chewed on her lower lip as Valen kept walking up to his front door. Something about that didn't settle right with her. Apprentice knights are trained to handle anything that the world can throw at them so they can defend the king as best as they can, so in some part of her mind she knew he would probably be able to take care of himself pretty well. But at the same time, she remembered back when Daddy got sick and Mama had to take care of him and cook for him and everything else he normally did himself. Daddy was the toughest person Hero could think of. And if he needed help, then…

"Um, actually, Valen!" she called out and ran down the steps, jogging over to meet the apprentice. He turned halfway and looked at her curiously. Hero rubbed her wrists together as she thought of what to say. It was now or nothing.

"Do—do you. um, want to join us for dinner? Mama said she was gonna make sloppy joes tonight, and she usually makes a lot, so we're gonna have a lot of food leftover."

"Is that right?" Valen asked. He gave Hero a small smile and ruffled her hair. "Well I'm not normally one for sloppy joes, but I'd hate to refuse such a kind offer. I'd be happy to join you; if it's all right with your parents that is."

"Of course it is! Mama said you always gotta help out your friends!" Hero practically bounced in place at the exclamation. Valen snickered.

"Well alright then. Just let me get home and change out of my armor, I'll be over in a bit. See you then, little miss."

Hero nodded. "Alright!" she said, "It's a date!"

NOTE: why