#aivu

So sorry, definitely didn't forget about this, I've just been working like a maniac on my sister's Christmas present and keep running out of time every day. 😅

The first time Vikkari made Arueshalae laugh was somewhere on the road after Greengates. The timing is only important bc having been so easily forgiven for her lying wrt Jaruunicka has her starting to realize he's Not Like Most Crusaders, and not just bc he's clearly celestial blooded. So she's paying more attention to him and what he does.

The making her laugh involves Aivu, because of course it does. (there's hardly anything Vikkari does after acquiring the Havoc Dragon Bestie that doesn't involve the Havoc Dragon Bestie) They'd set camp for the night, he's working on dinner while Arue is setting up some camouflaging foliage nearby, and Aivu sneaks up and steals the piece of wood he was going to whittle while watching the food. Living up to the 'Havoc" part of her title lol. So, of course, he instinctively chases after Aivu, trying to get the wood back before there are too many teeth marks in it. It quickly turns from a real chase into a game, mostly bc Vikkari's laughing too hard to have a prayer of catching anything, let alone a dragon. So Aivu will run-fly a ways ahead, wait for him to almost-catch her, then dodge and do it again, that kind of thing. (Vikkari has to keep stopping to go check on dinner, until Arue finishes the camouflage and takes over that so he can have fun with his dragon) She gets distracted by a rabbit on one of these sprints-away and he finally catches her and gets the wood back. They do a little friendly forehead bonk, which works right now bc Aivu's not very big, and rejoin camp.

The part that makes Arue laugh is when she's gifted a(nother) carved wooden butterfly a couple days later that kind of, sort of, definitely possibly has dragon toothmarks as part of the decoration on the wings.