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"How old are y'now, lass?" Jacob asked, carefully unwrapping a parcel to reveal a lumpy muffin.
"16." Maisie rolled her eyes. They both knew he knew.
"No."
"Yea. 16 years big, I am."
"Years small . Ain't ever seen a 16-year-old so short."
"Pylar's knockin' forty an' they're shorter than I." Maisie huffed, taking her spot at the dinner table as Jacob bustled around. Blue crawled onto her lap and her fingers found that spot atop his head that reduced him to jelly.
"Pylar's a midget. You's saying you's a midget?" Jacob set the lumpy muffin down and stuck it through with a candle. The wax stood crooked.
"I ain't no midget, Jacob. Jus' short. Now hush up an' light my muffin proper."
"Yea, yea. Quit punchin' me. Wher- hey! Damnit, Blue. That was for her, not you."
Blue stared at the man, unblinking as he chewed.
Maisie didn't bother to restrain her giggles, rubbing at the creature's cheeks.
"What're you laughin' 'bout? An' don't reward him fer it! That was your breakfast. I ain't getting you 'nother one. Woke up at the crack of dawn to ride into town for that. Candle an' all."
"You woke earlier on the Inevitable."
"Years ago, las- ow! Quit punchin' me."
"Five years ago, Jacob. Jus' five."
"Five, smive. Hush up, go get dressed."
"I am dressed."
Jacob barely gave her the courtesy of a once over, the too large shirt for her too small frame and the red cloth belt her typical bedclothes. "Fer goin' out." He reiterated.
"For what?"
"Fer goin' out. Gods, ya ask too many questions. An' if you don' tuck that tongue back in yer mouth, I'll snip it ri' off."
"Ooh, scary Capitan."
"That's it."
Shrill squeaks filled the cabin as Jacob tackled the girl around the waist and hoisted her up onto his shoulders. Maisie thrashed all the way out the door and to the dock, feet kicking in vain "Nononono, Jacob Holland, don't you da-!" before she sailed into the air.
Jacob threw his head back in a laugh even as he stood in the splash zone.
Maisie surfaced with a gasp, hair a mess, sticking to her face in some places, pointing skyward in others. She scowled at the man before swimming over.
"Happy birthday, Mase." Jacob said merrily, leaning down to offer her a helping hand.
"Yea, yea." Her hand locked with his, legs pumping under the water. She planted her feet against the dock's pillars, slapped her other hand over Jacob's, and pulled.
Realization hit Jacob mid flight before he splashed head first into the water.
It was Maisie's turn to laugh. Her small body vibrated with giggles, only to yelp when large hands gripped her waist, yet again. She launched up a foot as Jacob surfaced. Maisie giggled once more from her spot on Jacob's shoulders, propping her chin on his head.
"Pulled you in easy, didn't I?"
"I'm too old for this."
"You're too young for complainin' 'bout yer age."
"Have some respect for yer elders.'
"Sure, old man."
They both chortled as Jacob hoisted her down from his shoulders. The action took a little more effort than the first time he did it, but the warmth in his chest at having her at his side swelled just the same.
Maisie jumped up and down, shaking her head back and forth until her hair regained its natural spring.
"Don't you be trackin' mud inside." She chided, referring to the murky glops on his bare feet as they entered the cabin.
Jacob rolled his eyes but slipped out nonetheless. He swiped his feet in the grass before taking the worn cobblestone path back in. When he returned, a towel hung from the doorknob and her familiar footfalls thumped overhead. He rubbed himself down until he was sure he wasn't dripping before taking the stairs to the second level and getting re-dressed for the day.
"Where we goin'?" Maisie called from her room, voice slipping through the three-inch gap of the door and bouncing down the halls.
"Out."
"Out, where?"
"Jus' out, lass. Gods."
"Ya ain't need to do nothin' special for me, ya hear?"
"We've got the funds."
"I know we've got the funds." Her voice was softer now as she slipped into his room and jumped onto his bed. Her feet kicked back and forth as she watched Jacob lace his shirt. "Capitan Crow still sends ya them cheques. They're more'en 'nough, even if ya didn't work."
Jacob paused in cinching his belt to raise a brow at the girl, "How y'know so much 'bout mine finances?"
A beat passed, Maisie staring at the man before rolling her eyes and giving a long-suffering sigh, flopping backward on the bed. "We live together, Jacob. Yer finances are mine finances." She smiled as Blue scuttled onto her stomach and wiped a muffin crumb from the corner of his mouth. The creature took her whole hand in his mouth for the leftovers.
"Ri'. Well. First, I'm gon' take Blue an' you out for a late brekkie, get ya some better clothes" His disapproving look to her thready, patchwork garbs was met with a chortle, "an' what follows is for the Fates to decide."
Maisie squinted suspiciously at him from her prone position before shrugging and leaping to her feet, Blue in her arms. "Last one to the cart's a rotten sea slug!"
Jacob sighed, shaking his head as she ran off.
~
They bounced down the road in comfortable silence, Maisie's shining eyes wandering through the woods surrounding them as she stroked Blue in her lap. Jacob managed the horses with ease. The first few months adjusting to land life were trouble, among his struggles being the need to familiarize himself with the strange, quadrupedal beasts. But they came around, though Jacob suspects Maisie and her pockets full of sugar cubes also played a part.
Breakfast was a quick affair, a mini pelting match of crumpet crumbs taking place, much to their waiter's chagrin. Guilty smiles and a large tip prefaced their hasty, giggly departure.
The next stop was a dress shop, to Maisie's distaste. Upon hopping down from the cart, she bounded for the book store, only for large hands to lay upon her shoulders and steer her to Erin's Lot for Lace, a quaint, tiny store literally bursting with anything and everything feminine.
"Jacoooooooob," Maisie whined, heels dragging two ruts in the gravel as Jacob pushed her down the street.
"Jus' quick, kid. Then we'll check in with Abernathy, again, see if she gots any new books, again, to which she'll say no, again ."
Maisie groaned, "But why here? Erin's... Scary."
Jacob couldn't restrain his snort, eyes falling upon the eccentric man bedecked in yellow, who was far from scary.
"'Cause he's the only one that sells so small. I ain't expectin' ya to get some frilly ballgown. Get overalls for all I care. Jus' get somethin' new." He said, nudging her forward.
"My, you've grown, girl!" Erin exclaimed, arms outstretched as if to encompass Maisie's changes.
Jacob looked at the teen with a critical eye. It was her birthday, so he should have taken in any "changes" sooner. But he settled for right then and there. He was surprised to find she really wasn't as short as he treated her. Her forehead was level with his chest and if she stood on her tiptoes, her tallest curl could tickle his nose. Some of the baby fat in her cheeks was gone- not so much that she looked full grown, but enough to make a difference. Her hair had grown longer, swaying against the small of her back now. She moved gracefully, fully aware of her sinewy limbs and the space she occupied. She was wholly the same, yet different.
She shrugged, pulling Blue closer to her chest before slinking between both men and into the chiffon abyss. Erin stared after the girl until he could no longer see her amidst the skirts, before spinning to Jacob, grinning wide. "It's arrived~!" He sang, hips swaying as he pulled a package from somewhere beneath all the frill.
Jacob smiled and traded the package for payment. He tucked the package under his arm as he visited a couple of shops.
The girl didn't take long, bounding out of the lot in a simple, shapeless, soft red dress with white tights and a brown vest, making a beeline for the book shop.
Her venture inside was even shorter, Jacob having been right in his prediction that no new books had arrived.
He hoisted her back onto the cart before jumping up, their ride taking them to the coastal cliff road that bordered the forest.
Maisie inhaled the salt air, sighing as she slumped in her seat, leaning against Jacob's massive bicep. "We should come here more often," She mumbled, petting Blue as they both stared longingly at the glistening waters.
Jacob glanced down at the girl, "We ride down near every other day, lass. 'S as close to a second home as ya can get 'fore it stops bein' second."
Maisie answered with a noncommittal hum, happy to bask in the scattered sun rays filtering through the treetops, inhale the sea breeze climbing up the cliffside, get lost in the seagulls calling, and the rhythmic clop-clop-clopping and creaks from the horse and cart, and relish the company of her two best mates. The tranquil air, early morning, and the filling meal had her dozing. It wasn't long before Jacob was nudging her awake and they were boarding a rowboat.
Maisie released Blue into the water to swim alongside them as Jacob rowed. The finned blob gave happy yaps as it ducked under the boat, boarded, then jumped in again, making rings around the craft. Maisie smiled before turning to stare at Jacob, long and hard until he, at last, acknowledged her gaze.
"Ya could help, lass."
"I'll get out an' push, Capitan." She snarked. Jacob laughed, continuing to row with the boat's sole pair of oars. "Where we goin'?"
He jutted his chin over his shoulder and Maisie's gaze drifted to the medium-sized island still in the distance. It was covered with grown, tropical trees with a thin slip of white sands forming its circumference.
"For?"
"How's 'bout a picnic?"
"We jus' ate."
"I'm sure we'll've built up an appetite by then with all this hard work. 'Least one of us will. Ain't pointin' no fingers, but... Amiri', Blue?"
Blue pranced over, gave a sloppy lick to the man's cheek, barked, then dived back into the water. Jacob grimaced, then scowled.
Maisie chortled, opting instead to lean back and bask in the sun.
Despite her initial refusal, she did take over halfway. "This picnic best be worth it, Capitan. Or I'll eat ya myself."
"Me?" Jacob exclaimed faux incredulously, gesturing wildly to Blue, "Wha'bout him?"
Maisie giggled, "He's too cute to eat."
Jacob merely huffed and shook his head, crossing his arms petulantly. But he made no effort to hide the fond smile on his mouth.
They came to shore at noon, the sun hot and bright and beating down on them. Jacob pulled the boat higher up the shore. He pulled out two baskets, called out to Maisie before she could wander too far, and began walking along the border of the forest.
Maisie reached over to peek into the baskets, only for Jacob to swat her curious hands.
"Oi!" Maisie yelped, rather dramatically.
"Patience, Luv~."
Maisie huffed but obliged. But not before jabbing him in the gut.
The trek was short and found them a couple of hundred feet above the water, facing the wide oceans.
"Here," Jacob said, tossing something rectangular at her.
Maisie caught the bundle and unfurled it, gasping as she did so. A brand new satchel. Bigger than her current one and proper to her size. Its leather was lush and bright. She opened it and grinned at the two journals, a thick book with ornate details on the spine, and a set of pencils. She pulled out the book, brushing her fingers reverently over its hard covering. "Miss Maisie Brumble's First Adventure," A little lower in smaller script, "As told by Jacob Holland."
She gasped, gaze jumping to Jacob in surprise. "Did you write this?"
Jacob gave a casual shrug, but the subtle pinkening of his cheeks nulled the effort. "With some help, yea. It's the only one- figured you'd wanna make sure I got it all ri' 'fore anythin' else." He shrugged again, scratching his neck.
Maisie gaped at the man before launching forward and wrapping her arms around his shoulders, pressing her face to his neck.
"Whoa!" Jacob exclaimed, arms going down to stabilize himself and the new weight. He failed and they sprawled across the sand. "Easy, Mase."
Her words were muffled as she spoke against his throat. "It's perfect, Jacob."
"Ya ain't even read it." He laughed at the azure sky, ruffling her hair.
"I ain't got to. It's perfect." She pulled back and curled on his lap, pinning him in the sand as she admired the cover. "Well, near perfect."
Jacob's hand settled on the small of her back, "Oh?"
Her head bobbed in a nod, "Hmhmm." She flipped over the book, so the cover faced him, and poked the title. "S'all wrong. Should be Maisie Brumble /and/ Jacob Holland's First Adventure Together. 'Cause it wasn't jus' me."
Jacob grunted as he came upright, shifting Maisie so she was seated between his legs, his chest flush to her back. "I ain't the one who tamed Red."
"I didn't tame her. I was jus'... Nice." She finished lamely.
He chuckled, burying his nose into her curls, "Well, you were the first."
Maisie settled into her spot, not bothering to read just yet, merely skimming. "Thank you, Jacob. Really."
"Course, Mase." Jacob pressed a soft kiss to her temple. "Anythin' for ya."
She giggled, "How 'bout jus' lunch?"
"How's 'bout we wait a minute?" He pulled back an inch, looking about. His gaze landed on a ripple in the water and he grinned.
"Why we waitin'?" She leaned to catch what held his attention, only to be yanked back down. "Oi! What's all that fer?" She yelled, swatting his arm.
"'Memba' what I said 'bout patience?" Jacob said, half-heartedly pinning her to her spot and using his broad chest as a wall.
"Oh, stuff yer patience. Lemme see-!" Maisie jerked and slipped from Jacob's loose grip, turning on her knees to peer behind him. Her jaw dropped just as Blue lept over the cliff's edge. "Red!" She squealed, leaping to her feet and stumbling over Jacob in her rush for the creature.
Jacob chuckled as he watched Maisie press herself to the space between Red's mouth and nose. "What a surprise." He said as Red exhaled a fond huff, blowing him back a step. Blue yapped from his spot atop her head.
Maisie looked over her shoulder at Jacob, eyes glistening with happy tears. "Best birthday ever, Jacob." She whispered earnestly, sniffling as tears slipped down her cheeks. She hugged Red tighter, petting her textured scales.
Jacob drew near and gave a gentle scratch to Red's nose before looking down at Maisie and smiling. His lips brushed her hairline as he mumbled tenderly against her skin, "Anytime, Mase. Happy birthday."
And then they hopped into Red's nose and took a picnic trip into the deep sea. Jacob watched fondly as Maisie alternated between eating, muttering under her breath as she scribbled notes, and drawing all she saw, whispering awestruck "ooh" and "ah"'s every five seconds.
End.