Chapter 1639: A Melody and a Snowfall ( 1639 )

After a while.

Javier was still talking, holding up another item he had just pulled from the chest. A flat metal disc with runes etched along its edge, something he was explaining to Buddy in great detail.

Mimi came skipping toward him from the portable building. Her golden tail swayed happily behind her, her ears perked, her eyes bright with curiosity. She stopped at the other side of the massive chest, tilting her head and peeking inside.

Her eyes widened.

The chest was filled with all kinds of strange things. Devices she didn’t recognize, tools she’d never seen before, objects that looked like they belonged in another world entirely. Shiny things. Colorful things. Things with buttons and levers and glowing crystals. Her tail swayed faster, her fingers tapping against the edge of the chest.

She bit her lower lip, her fang peeking out, her expression caught between curiosity and mischief. She glanced at Javier, who was still deep in conversation with Buddy, his back turned.

A wide grin spread across her face.

She climbed up the side of the chest and jumped inside.

"Nyaaa~ There are a lot of toys in here!"

Her voice echoed from within. She rummaged through the pile, her tail flicking with excitement. Then her ears perked. Her eyes fixed on something. She squatted down, picked it up, and turned it over in her hands.

She stood up, her head popping out of the chest like a curious cat peeking out of a box, and held up her prize.

"Ne~ Ne~ Husband?"

Javier paused mid-sentence and glanced at her. His smile softened.

"Yes, Mimi?"

She held up a small wooden box. It was polished and smooth, with delicate carvings along the edges, a tiny metal crank on the side, and a brass latch keeping the lid shut.

"What is this?"

"Oh, that?"

Javier set down what he was holding and took the box from her hands.

Mimi jumped up and perched on the edge of the chest, her tail swaying, her knees tucked together, looking down at his hands with bright, curious eyes.

Javier turned the box in his hands, then pressed his thumb against the latch. The lid clicked open. He turned the small crank on the side, winding it slowly.

A melody drifted out. Soft and sweet, delicate as a whisper. The notes rose and fell in a gentle rhythm, warm and sweet and a little sad, the kind of melody that could make a heart ache for reasons it couldn’t name.

Mimi’s ears perked up. Her tail swayed slowly behind her. Her legs began to swing gently, back and forth, back and forth, keeping time with the melody. Her eyes softened, her usual playful energy replaced by something quiet and wondering.

Javier smiled, watching the melody drift across her face. He said nothing, just held the box and let the music play, a distant look in his eyes.

Mimi tilted her head, her ears drooping slightly, her brow furrowing. She watched his expression, the way his eyes had drifted somewhere far away.

"Husband?"

Javier glanced up at her.

"Yes, Mimi?"

"You look sad." She tilted her head the other way, her tail curling slowly behind her. "Your eyes went all quiet. Like you were somewhere else. Like you were thinking about something that hurt."

Javier blinked, and the distant look cleared. He smiled again, warm and easy, and set the box down gently on the edge of the chest.

"No. It’s just... this melody reminds me of something."

"Nya?"

Mimi leaned forward slightly, her ears perking.

"Reminds you of what?"

Javier chuckled softly.

"Nothing, Mimi... nothing."

Mimi picked up the box and lifted it gently, her tail swaying in a soft, content rhythm. She looked down at Javier.

"Husband?"

"Hmm?"

She held the box up toward him with both hands, her eyes bright and hopeful. A wide grin spread across her face, her tail swaying faster behind her, her legs swinging gently back and forth against the edge of the chest, her whole body radiating excitement.

"Can Mimi keep this?"

Javier laughed, the sound light and warm.

"You want it?"

Mimi nodded eagerly, her grin widening, her tail swaying faster, her legs swinging in happy little kicks against the chest. The morning light caught her golden hair, her ears perked high, her eyes sparkling with pure, childlike delight.

"Yes! Yes! Mimi loves it! The melody is so pretty! It makes Mimi feel warm inside! Can Mimi keep it? Please? Please?"

Javier smiled and reached up, gently patting her head. His fingers threaded through her soft hair, his touch warm and fond, slow and gentle. He looked up at her with soft, warm eyes.

"Sure, Mimi. You can keep it."

Mimi’s eyes lit up. Her tail swayed faster, her ears perked higher, and she let out a soft, happy hum. She leaned into his hand, her eyes fluttering closed for a moment, a blissful smile spreading across her face.

"Ehehehe~"

She opened her eyes and hugged the music box to her chest, her voice bubbling with excitement.

"Mimi can’t wait to put it in the tree house! When we get back to the Armand estate! On the little shelf, next to the picture book, and the pillow, and all the things Mimi got from the day before!"

Mimi turned her gaze toward Buddy, her eyes bright with excitement.

"Nya! Orange bird! Hold this for Mimi! Don’t give it to anyone! Husband gave it to me, nya!"

She tossed the music box toward him. Buddy’s wind magic caught it mid-air, the box floating gently beside him, bobbing softly in the current.

Buddy narrowed his eyes, his beak curling into a flat line.

"Cuquawked! Cuquawked!" (Oi, cat witch! I’m not a baggage handler! I’m not your personal servant! I’m a majestic pekko, not some pack mule for your toys!)

She turned back to the chest, jumped inside, and started rummaging again, her tail flicking happily above the edge.

Buddy let out a long, weary exhale from his beak, his feathers ruffling with irritation. He looked down at the music box, then back at the chest where Mimi had disappeared, then back at the music box.

"Cuquawked..." (Why do I put up with this...)

Mimi popped her head up from inside the chest and looked at Javier, her golden ears perking. She held up her hand, showing him another object.

"Ne ne~ What’s this thing, Husband?"

Javier smiled and extended his palm. Mimi placed it in his hand and leaned forward, her head still peeking out of the chest, her eyes fixed on it.

It was a small glass sphere mounted on a polished wooden base. Inside the glass, a tiny scene unfolded. A miniature house with a slanted roof, tiny trees with snow-dusted branches, and a tiny figure standing in the snow. The flakes inside were still, resting at the bottom of the sphere.

Javier turned it over in his hand, then pressed a small rune button on the wooden base. The mana crystal inside hummed softly, and the snow began to move. The tiny white flakes lifted from the bottom, swirling gently through the glass, drifting and dancing around the tiny house and trees. The movement was slow and peaceful, like real snow falling on a quiet winter night.

Mimi’s eyes widened. Her mouth fell open slightly, her tail going still behind her.

"It’s called a snow globe," Javier said, his voice soft. "You shake it or press the rune, and the snow moves. It never settles. It just keeps drifting. Like a little piece of winter, captured in glass. Something to look at when you want to feel calm."

He tilted it slightly, watching the snow swirl inside.

"I made this a long time ago. It reminds me of... winters from somewhere far away."

Mimi stared at the swirling snow, her eyes wide and wondering.

"Ooohhh!!! Mimi wants that too!!"

Before Javier could react, Mimi snatched the snow globe from his hand and tossed it toward Buddy. Buddy’s eyes widened, and he caught it with his wind magic, the snow globe floating gently in the air beside the music box.

"Cuquawkedddd!!" (Oi! Don’t just throw things at me! And don’t toss delicate glass objects around like they’re toys! Do you have any idea how easily this could break?!)

Mimi ignored him completely, already diving back into the chest, her tail swaying happily behind her.

( End Of Chapter )