TWENTY-SEVEN
They sit silently. None of them know where to begin.
Both she and Elfnein fidget—she seems to have caught her wife's nervousness from this morning.
Her throat is dry. Should she bring up the photographs? Or should she talk about something else? What else is there? She doubts children have any interest in the art of calligraphy (well, most children), and her work is not appropriate conversation for children, and her mind is completely, utterly, traitorously blank of all else.
"So, ah, I checked with the matron about your allergies," Maria finally says, bless her, "and thankfully you don't have any, but just in case, if you feel nauseous or dizzy or itchy, tell us immediately!"
Except, she knows that two of those symptoms can also come from anxiety. She would know.
But the child, Elfnein, nods tentatively, and she even manages to murmur, "Okay." Now the bravery of this child puts her to shame.
So she forces down the self-conscious fear and helps Maria bring out the food—which is a lot. She hopes the child, Elfnein, has a good appetite.
"I brought a little of everything—" such an understatement—"so we have sandwiches, soup, pasta, rice, fish, beef, chicken, turkey, a fruit salad somewhere in here, several kinds of juice, tea for Tsubasa, and—"
"Breathe, Maria," she cuts in, because Elfnein's eyes are wide at the amount of food Maria is pulling out of the basket.
Maria huffs, "I was going to say, 'and pastries.' But don't worry about finishing it all! Tsubasa and I will help you out."
Elfnein is, apparently, stuck on the sheer number of containers scattered around the blanket. Frankly, she is, too.
"There are a lot of pastries. I don't remember packing that many," she finds herself remarking, and Elfnein nods in agreement.
Maria chuckles. "I have something of a sweet tooth," she says. "Actually, that's an understatement. I once ate twenty-seven mini-pies at a pie eating contest."
Elfnein gapes up at her in awe.
"But I make sure to eat balanced, healthy meals every day," Maria hastily appends. "Too many sweets will spoil your appetite, and we definitely want you to be strong and healthy."
Nodding, Elfnein adds, "And tall!"
"Tall?" Tsubasa repeats.
"Yeah!" Elfnein nods vigorously. Her heart practically melts at the display of childish earnestness. "I want to be as tall as a bear!"
She blinks. "That is very tall." Elfnein's face falls, so she amends, waving her hands, "But I am sure you can reach your goal! Maria brought enough to feed a horse, so why not a bear?"
Giggling, Elfnein brightens up. It makes her grin back.
"I hope that doesn't mean you won't eat sweets with me every now and then," Maria chimes in as she hands them both bowls heaping with practically a little bit of everything.
Elfnein blushes, but she nods.
"Make sure to keep ants away," she remembers to warn them. With so much sugar, they are bound to be attracted.
"Did you know ants can carry up to one hundred times its own body weight?" Elfnein gushes.
"I did not," she says, impressed.
"Amazing!" Maria says. "What else can they do?"
Elfnein is evidently glad to enlighten them, for she launches into a very detailed and animated explanation of how ants are, in her words, "really cool!"
It looks like they have quite the scholar on their hands.
a/n: Slightly longer than usual. Part two tomorrow. I hope this met your expectations... :P