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triple_flamePrompt from Emma. It's a very short piece so I'll probably revisit the prompt at some point in the future.
“Val!”
His voice was high pitched, a little desperate. He would debate later whether it was his own fault for not knocking, or for carrying the joke a little too far.
Aleksei’s fiance shrugged, her hand steady over the flame as the little crucible glowed white at the bottom. “I did warn you.” Her voice was just as steady, Aleksei would have done a lot to borrow some of that calm as a salve to his own rising panic.
“It’s just a teaspoon.”
“It’s...It was...”
Aleksei screwed his eyes shut. It WAS just a teaspoon, a piece of cutlery that he had dozens of, but that wasn’t the point. It was also the best part of two hundred years old and had been passed down through his family as an heirloom. The set had been a wedding present from the Emperor to one of his ancestors. Not that anyone had ever seen fit to inform Aleksei of the reason the Emperor felt close enough to send gifts.
“It was part of a set of six. Let me at least give you one more so it’s not an odd size anymore.” He couldn’t quite suppress a sigh. “Just promise you’ll use it for something...important?”
“Val!”
His voice was high pitched, a little desperate. He would debate later whether it was his own fault for not knocking, or for carrying the joke a little too far.
Aleksei’s fiance shrugged, her hand steady over the flame as the little crucible glowed white at the bottom. “I did warn you.” Her voice was just as steady, Aleksei would have done a lot to borrow some of that calm as a salve to his own rising panic.
“It’s just a teaspoon.”
“It’s...It was...”
Aleksei screwed his eyes shut. It WAS just a teaspoon, a piece of cutlery that he had dozens of, but that wasn’t the point. It was also the best part of two hundred years old and had been passed down through his family as an heirloom. The set had been a wedding present from the Emperor to one of his ancestors. Not that anyone had ever seen fit to inform Aleksei of the reason the Emperor felt close enough to send gifts.
“It was part of a set of six. Let me at least give you one more so it’s not an odd size anymore.” He couldn’t quite suppress a sigh. “Just promise you’ll use it for something...important?”