Cracking a smile

This was already a vicious cycle for Irene. She loved doing this to Arawan mostly because she was trying to get his stone face to show some sort of emotion. There was something mischievous about her doing this, and Nisus would always tell her that she was mean. Yes, maybe she was. Maybe she wanted to get a reaction out of him and maybe his stone face will crack. He was one of the few stone giants in their village and Irene loved toying around with him.

Arawan was tall and slow, not talking a lot, keeping it all to himself and somehow that really bothered Irene. He was so big and he was easier to ignore than Irene at times, and she was small. Everyone knew who Irene was. The tiny pixie with purple dust always behind her, tiny bells around her ankles. She didn’t have to wear them, but she loved knowing people could hear it and know that she was around. He was just a moving rock as she liked to call him. Sometimes not even moving. He would just sit, doing whatever he had to do in silence. The first time she met him she sat on him, thinking it was just a rock. She didn’t realize he wasn't one until hours later when he sneezed. It scared the living dust out of her. 

Since then, she tried getting out of him any reaction. Prank after prank after prank and then some scares. Any time it didn’t work, it made her unhappy, but those few times when she did get even the smallest of reactions from him gave her hope. Tarhunna, which was another stone giant from their village, was a cheerful fellow, their face cracking every time they laughed, tiny spectacles of dust being released from their skin, but that didn’t stop them. They were so full of joy and after a few mud baths, their skin would come back to normal. Unless they laughed again, so it wouldn’t last for long. 

Irene was set on making this the best prank ever!

But she didn’t know what else she could do. She already used her best ideas, and any other ideas that would come to mind wouldn’t be good enough. Not to her standards. 

Sitting on a rock in the woods, a rock that she did check to not be another stone giant, she tapped her foot, fingers tapping on her forehead as well. What could she do more? She dusted his food with some always changing taste dust, but he only seemed to frown in confusion. She painted his clothes pink, giving it pretty sparkles, but he just looked confused once more, not knowing how they got like that, he still wore them. People gave him amused looks and all knew it was Irene that did it. It was quite an Irene prank, but Arawan just ignored everyone and kept going with his day as if he wasn't looking like a giant shiny cotton candy. 

Just the thought of cotton candy made her mouth water and her stomach growl. She was so hungry! Why did she have to think of that? Now she couldn’t help herself from imagining a giant cotton candy Arawan just walking through the village. The spring festival was about to arrive and that was almost like a signal or sign for her to do something. 

The spring festival. 

That’s when people started waking up from hibernation, the moment when Cian would join them back. Her heart ached thinking of him. He didn’t want to go there, but his wounds were so severe there was no other option. She prayed he would awake and all will be good. He will be healthy. Irene jumped off the rock as an idea came to her. She could prank Cian! He for sure needed to laugh a bit considering his last memories. This will be for sure her way of showing him that she is perfectly fine and back to her ways. Maybe a pink house? No. She already did that to him ages ago. Pins in his bed? No… that wasn't going to be good for when he would’ve wanted to sleep and he did need his rest. 

She had many ideas, but many of them she already used on him sadly. He was the one she tested her ideas on because he always got mad at her, but in the end, he laughed about it. Irene just hoped that if she did do something, he would have the power to laugh again. She had a rough time laughing after the war as well, but this was part of her so it came back easily. Cian was a manly man and laughing wasn't one of his priorities so she hoped that he didn’t forget how to do it even after his hibernation.

Taking off, she went back to the center square where she could already see people preparing for the festival and reuniting with the people close to them that hibernated. The village still suffered from the attacks and the loss of people and buildings, crops have burnt, waters have been contaminated and they were working on it. They were on the right track and that made her happy, erasing the memories of the dead and the smell of fire. 

Shaking her head, shaking the bad away, she put on her smile and flew towards Casidee, landing in her curly full hair, being a perfect bed for her to rest. It smelled nice and sweet. 

“Irene, you are not a baby bird to nest in my hair.” the woman laughed. 

“I do have wings and I am small,” Irene argued with a smile.

Shaking her head, it made Irene grab on her locks, laughing. This was a conversation that was always going the same each time she did it, but it was something that was theirs and no one shall take it. Not even death or war. 

“Do you think Cian will appreciate one of my pranks when he wakes up?” Irene wondered out loud, looking at the sky.

“No.”

“I was thinking of making waterfall on him when he gets out of his cave room.” She continued without listening to her answer.

“He wakes up after months and you want to soak him?” Casidee laughed, but it was a forced one.

Irene would’ve loved to talk about Cian without a cloud of sadness to come over them. It was never a good topic, but they couldn’t ignore it forever, not now when he was so close to waking up.

“Maybe after he gets better.” Added Casidee, making Irene smile. 

“I take it!” Irene screamed filled with a fake excitement.