Her Eyes

Forty

The loud laughter of young children filled the main room connected to the dining room and kitchen. Charis appeared carrying three children in his arms, all laughing and giggling happily at their bear-like uncle. Evangelia appeared a few steps behind him, holding the hands of one of the rowdier children.

It was clear who the ringleader of the marker crime was.

"They must have drawn on the wall again," Nikolaos muttered with a chuckle.

The children were brought to their parents, who gently chided them for their behavior. Evangelia, who was initially furious about her wall calmed down after learning the drawings wouldn't stain and could be cleaned with plain soap and water.

Just as Esmae tried to ask what Nikolaos meant, the front door opened and more relatives entered. A handful of them came inside, carrying a large pine tree into the wide entrance doors of the house. The children exclaimed and wowed, clearly excited about the object. Those following after the tree carried boxes likely filled with ornaments and decorations.

The dryad looked in both wonder and slight horror. How was there such a large tree inside of the house? Where did it come from, and why was it inside? She was aware of plants and such, but those were small and still had their roots connected to the soil they grew from.

This tree didn't.

"Niko?" she called out to him in a whisper and blindly held the fabric of this thin sweater. Nikolaos looked at her with a smile, expecting her eyes to sparkle and glitter with excitement. When they didn't, he grew concerned. He furrowed his brows and his expression grew serious with concern.

His babbling nephew was handed to his uncle and Nikolaos turned his full attention to Esmae. He held her face in his hands and rubbed her cheeks with his thumbs. "What's wrong, moró?" He scanned her face, trying to discover the reason for her distress.

The dryad's eyes were trained onto the tree, watching as it was made to stand upright. The base, where the roots used to be, was instead covered in a stand for balance. "Why is there a tree inside?" she murmured. The children ran around the tree and their parents' legs as the adults placed the large boxes on the ground. As they celebrated, Esmae stared with a mix of intrigue and caution.

Turning her chin gently so her eyes looked into his, Nikolaos sighed as he understood her concern. He always understood her.

"It's a Christmas tree, glykiá mou. It's a decoration for most families, including ours, but it has its roots in religion," he explained as he kept her eyes on him. Flickers of emerald and chrome fought against each other before merging into one.

Nikolaos placed a soft kiss on her forehead, letting his lips linger for a while before leaning back. "You're probably upset because it doesn't have roots, yeah?" Esmae nodded slowly, her eyes darting to the tree. It would die without proper care. What would happen to it then? Would they throw it away? Discard it as if it were nothing?

"Thought so," he muttered, pulling the young woman into his arms and rubbing her back soothingly. "Humans are quite cruel, aren't we?"

"...Sometimes," Esmae whispered as she slowly wrapped her arms around Nikolaos. Her heart had yet to be solidified by the idea of humans harming nature without a second thought. She'd never encountered humans when she was a small leaf on her mother's branch, so she didn't think about the species, but it was sad to see how they would snip branches, saw through them, or even cut wood with the sharp blades of axes.

The leaf knew such methods were sometimes necessary, but it still hurt to see things go. "But... just once, right?" Esmae looked at Nikolaos again, ripping her eyes away from the tree and the humans surrounding it.