"Plumose"
One of Elizabeth's earliest memories is of being held in her father's arms. They are outside, and sunlight filters through the branches of a wide tree that fans out above their heads. There's a bird's nest on one of the tree's lower bows, and Alexis lifts her up to get a better look. She stares, wide-eyed, at the downy chicks inside.
"Fluffy," she says, and reaches out to touch them, but she has barely moved before her father catches her hand in a gentle grip.
"Don't touch, Lizzy," he warns, "They're very little, and you could hurt them by accident."
She restates their fluffiness with a pout, and Alexis laughs.
"Yes," he rumbles, his voice deep and warm, "I know, they're very cute and fluffy. But you know what's even cuter?"
Lizzy shakes her head.
"You! My little lady Lizzy, you're much more adorable than those baby birds!"
He spins her in the air, and she shrieks with breathless giggles.
A/N: So... *coughs awkwardly* Um. See, the thing is, school is getting pretty intense, so I may have to take a little break from updating this for a while. I'll keep writing when I get the chance, and this story is never really far from my mind, so never fear; I will return to this. But, uh, I also need to learn the bones of the human body for my anatomy and physiology class (which is seriously intimidating, argh) and work on my class presentations, and choose an essay topic, and do online work for my hybrid class... *screams in despair, why have I done this to myself, why* So...see y'all later? :)
And as always, thanks for reading.
"Plumose:" feathery; fluffy; soft