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+--- Thread: Love, Loss and Living (/showthread.php?tid=1916)
Love, Loss and Living - Luka Paluka - 04-24-2013
Hello! This is the thread where I'll be posting some short stories of Luka's past before adding some (shorter) versions to his wiki!
Feedback is really encouraged! Please send any you have by PM or leave a reply!
I'd really appreciate it. Chapter 1 - A Mother's Love
"I can do it, mother! Let me try." Luka yelled, tugging at the sleeve of his mother's work jacket. His mother chuckled in response, shaking her head as she crouched down and grunted, lifting a small crate from the ground.
"No, son. Not yet, you might hurt yourself. You can lift next time, all right?" his mother replied, a small smile on her face. Her voice was quiet and soft as she spoke, her gaze focused on her son.
"But-..."
"No, Luka. Come, calm the chocobo while I place this on the wagon."
"Fiiine." Luka sighed, doing as he was told and scurrying along after his mother. His footsteps made soft thudding sounds against the soft grass and dirt of Gridania, accompanied by the quiet grunts of his mother carrying the small crate.
When they arrived at their rusted old wagon, Luka moved round to the front and smiled up at a rather scrawny chocobo. The animal looked down at him and let out a quiet "Kweh" before lowering it's head. Luka reached up almost immediately, standing on the tips of his toes, and began to run his fingers through the chocobo's soft feathers.
"She's getting old now. We might have to buy a new one soon." came the voice of his mother from behind the wagon. She walked to the chocobo shortly after she spoke, mimicking Luka's actions with a small smile.
"But she's been in the family since I can remember, mother! She's fine, right Tilly?"
The chocobo responded to the sound of her name, releasing another soft "Kweh" as she closed her eyes, enjoying the mother and son's fingers moving through her feathers.
"I know, dear. And we'll still keep her. But she's getting a little too old to carry all this stuff around, hm?"
His mother chuckled once more, moving her hand from the chocobo and instead placing it gently on the head of her son. She stared down at the boy, gently stroking his hair before kneeling down. She turned Luka to face her and stared at him in silence for a few seconds, seeing herself. Her own bright blue eyes, her own earthy green hair, and even her own smile. All of this she saw staring straight back at her, the same features on the face of her child.
"You know, Luka, that I love you very much."
"I know, mother! I love you too." the boy grinned, staring up at his mother's face.
In his eyes, they looked nothing alike. She was far too beautiful. Her eyes a sparkling blue, shining even in the darkest of nights. Her hair always so tidy and perfect, while his sat messily on his head. Her smile able to cure even the worst of bad moods. In his eyes, he was staring at perfection.
"I know you do, dear. I just wanted you to know that I love you with all my heart." her voice was different. It was almost a whisper, and Luka fell silent for a moment as he noticed a different look in his mother's eyes. He wasn't sure what it was, for around him she had never shown it before. She was always so happy, so loving, that he had never seen sorrow in his mother's eyes before this night.
Before he could talk, his mother pulled him into a tight hug and kept him there for several minutes. She made no sound and said no words, simply holding her child tight. Luka gripped onto his mother, closing his eyes. In the embrace, the sorrow he saw in his mother's eyes had vanished from his mind, and he would never remember it again.
"Everything's going to be okay, Luka. I promise."
Across a small patch of grass a male Lalafell stood in a doorway in silence, watching the embrace. He cleared his throat quietly, his eyes filled with water as he turned away from the scene.
Later that evening Luka lay fast asleep in his small bed. He had a smile on his face as he dreamed of travelling with his parents. The places they'd go, the things they'd see, the people they'd meet! Even in his sleep this was all he ever thought about and he always considered himself truly blessed to have such a perfect family.
In the other room, Minana Mina and Topel Ridpel sat in silence, holding each other's hands across their small dining table.
"Did you tell him?" asked Luka's father, his voice quiet and shaking.
"...No. Not yet. It wasn't time, he isn't ready." Luka's mother replied, smiling across at her husband. He simply nodded in response as his eyes began to tear up once again, and neither of them said another word. They simply sat, holding each other's hands and staring into each other's eyes for the entire night.