IN the end, it took two days of bed rest before Nichika was up and about again.
Most of her energy was back, so she decided to wash the laundry piled up over their travel from Elminage to Windy Village. It was refreshing to add soap to the clothes in the sink and rub them clean. She enjoyed seeing dirty things getting cleaner. She threw a large towel over the clothes hanger to dry and clipped it in place so it wouldn’t blow away. This spot was nice and sunny, perfect for a quick dry.
Nichika picked up the borrowed laundry basket and finally answered the question put to her. “…Because the name ‘Lambert’ is too long. Anyways, isn’t it normal to call someone you’re friends with by a nickname?”
She glanced over her shoulder at the tall figure lounging on the sofa with a sour look on his face. For whatever reason she could not comprehend, Oswald didn’t like her calling Lambert “Lam” and had been annoying her about it an awful lot since she started doing the laundry. Her master snorted and laid on his folded arms.
“You’re something else for being able to casually call the man who tried to kill you by a cute nickname,” he continued in a voice permeated with his irritation. “Haven’t you been calling him by nicknames since before you became friends?”
“Yeah, because I hadn’t met him in person yet, and some of those nicknames weren’t so nice…”
What’s this guy so mad about? Exasperated, Nichika returned the basket where she found it. When she came back, Oswald had closed his eyes. Without much thought, she sat beside him and stared at his face. She looked extra close at his eyes. Last time his eyelashes looked like they were glowing silver. Had she just imagined it?
Sensing her eyes on him, his lashes fluttered open. When his eyes met hers, his perfectly manicured eyebrows snapped together.
“What are you looking at?”
“Nothing.”
“I’ll attack you.”
Nichika swiftly retreated to safe distance. She knew he wasn’t serious, but reacted just in case. Oswald languidly sat up and threw another annoyed question at her.
“You said you call friends by a nickname. That doesn’t apply to me?”
Back to that topic? He sure was hung up on the whole nickname thing.
“I seriously doubt it, but do you want me to call you Osy or something?” she half joked.
“……”
She nearly burst out laughing at the nickname she had picked for him. He noticed her trembling shoulders and the creases in his brow deepened to become a ravine.
“…God-awful nickname.”
“See? You’re the one who told me from day one to never utter your name like we’re friends. That’s why you’re Master or Oswald,” she reasoned.
After a while, Oswald stood with a sullen face. Nichika, who was checking over their travel supplies, glanced up at him. “Where are you going?”
“Off to wander around.”
“I want to come too! All my bones are going to lock up if I don’t go outside and move around. Will you take me with you?”
She had been bedridden for days. Going for a walk was a good place to start. Oswald tossed her a perfunctory glance and left the room with a curt “Do what you want.”
“Wait! Wait for me, Master!”
Nichika promptly pulled on her cardigan and ran after him.