Phew, finally managed to get this done!
Elizaveta lay on her bed, gasping in pain and fear. Lovina stood over her, holding the limp baby in her hands.
"Why isn't he crying?!" Elizaveta demanded. "Aren't babies supposed to cry? Why isn't my son breathing?!"
Lovina wrapped the bundle in a blanket and set it on a table. "I'm working on it," she said, wiping away the afterbirth from its face and setting it on a nearby table.
"...He's dead, isn't he?" the young mother asked, tears flooding her raw eyes.
She was startled when Lovina whipped around to look at her with a stare so intense it seemed to peer into her very mind. "Your son is going to live," she promised, her voice so severe that Elizaveta couldn't do anything but believe her.
Gilbert sat on a low stool in the corner of the kitchen and watched Aunt Lovina intently, munching on a bit of carrot she had slipped him when his mother had been distracted. His aunt was kneading dough for bread, the sleeves of her dress rolled up and flour smeared over her face. Her precise hands pushed and tugged and folded the dough into submission with the same smooth repetition of movements. She was humming under her breath (she always did that when she cooked) and there was a far off look in her eyes.
"Aunt Lovi?"
Lovina looked over her shoulder at him, her hazel eyes questioning. Gilbert finished the last bite of his carrot and asked around the mouthful, "Do you remember yesterday?"
"Yes, I do." Lovina returned her attention back to the dough briefly, grabbing a handful of flour and scattering it over the surface of the table so the bread wouldn't stick to it.
"Do you remember what I asked you?" Gilbert pressed.
"You ask a lot of questions."
"I meant the question about Uncle Toni."
Lovina turned around fully and her steely expression warned of upcoming danger. "Gilbert…"
"Why don't you want to marry Uncle Toni?
"I don't think this is the right time-"
He likes you a lot. I've seen him stare at you like how papa stares at mama."
"Gilbert!"
Her tone finally cowed him into silence. Gilbert sensed that for the first time in his life she was close to yelling at him. He'd seen her yell at people before - lots and lots of people - and he'd delighted in the knowledge the he was safe from such attacks. But now, with her eyes flashing and her hands akimbo, Gilbert was afraid of his surrogate aunt. He hunched down in his seat, watching her apprehensively (and somewhat sullenly; it was just a simple question!).
Today was his lucky day however, because she took a deep breath and let out a frustrated sigh, her hands falling to her sides. He could feel her gathering in all of her patience as she tried to explain the puzzling situation.
"Gilbert…" she began. "I am not interested in getting married. I've got too much to do without worrying about marriage." She nodded once, as if recommiting herself to this creed, and turned back to the table.
The albino boy thought about this for a moment before hopping to his feet and padding over to the table. He wrapped his arms around Lovina's knees and hugged her tightly. "Sorry," he mumbled.
Lovina sighed and patted his head. Some of the flour on her hands blended into his white hair but the rest made him sneeze. "It's okay, no harm done."
"Is something wrong?"
Aunt and nephew gasped and turned to the doorway that lead outside. Antonio stood there with Lovina's pot in his hands and a look of concern on his face. Lovina recovered first and briskly strode over to him, hampered a bit as Gilbert continued clinging to her. "It's nothing," she assured him. She looked at the bottom of the pot and noticed the shiny patch at the bottom where the hole had been. She looked up and smiled gratefully, though it was restrained. "Thank you, To- ...Antonio," she amended, painfully aware of the witness at her feet.
Antonio nodded his head courteously. "It was no trouble, Miss Lovina."
Elizaveta's voice suddenly blared up through the door at the opposite end of the kitchen that led to the rest of the inn. "Lovina! I need you for a moment!"
Lovina sighed a bit grumpily and set the pot on a counter. She left behind a vague goodbye and left Gilbert standing by the table and Antonio at the threshold. Gilbert glanced at Uncle Toni and noticed a somewhat foolish expression on his face as he watched her leave. For a moment he was pleased… then he remembered that Aunt Lovi didn't want to get married. He immediately scowled and was thinking of something to say that would head off any advances Uncle Toni was planning to make (he really liked Uncle Toni, but his aunt always came first). However, before he could use words that would doubtlessly have shocked his parents, Antonio's normally cheerful face morphed into a forlorn expression and he let out a hopeless sigh.
"You know," he told Gilbert. "Your aunt is too good for anyone in this town." He ran a hand through his thick, curly brown hair and left, his shoulders slumped a bit.
Gilbert pouted and grabbed another carrot. It was a shame Aunt Lovi didn't want to get married.
Have some filler! XD I hope y'all don't mind, I just wanted to strengthen the bonds between Lovina and Gilbert and her ties to the town a bit. The next chapter will be more interesting (hopefully)!
This is Epic and I approve this birthday message.
*huffs* You better! I'm pushing aside some Disneytalia chapters for this (jk, jk, I'm having writer's block with one of them XP)!