Chapter 23 #2
Tef'an continued to tug at his ear fronds, his tail wriggling behind him in a fit of nerves.
"Is it okay to invite abaya to our home?
" he asked, eyes wide. "Daddy says some people don't like to go to other people's homes because of their culture.
Was I rude when I asked? I didn't check first if it was rude.
Daddy says it's also rude sometimes when I touch people who don't like that, like when I came over to your creche – Was that bad? "
Stars above, this child. "You were a wonderful guest, Tef'an," I said, quick.
"It is not rude to ask if the children of Creche Thiel would like to visit," Araxis said gently. "Tell me, who is your parent? I will go speak with them."
Tef'an peered through the gaps in the wall and pointed to a gray-furred brin who was laughing with another parent, hand stroking down their shoulder in what was, for brin, a casual gesture.
The gentle chime that marked the school's open and close sounded, and all the children began to pick their way toward Kekobu.
I'd seen them do this before, forming a broad circle with their teacher while they chatted for a few more moments before the children trailed into the school to gather their things.
Sadin scurried down the tree, pausing to help his friends, while Talvi placed the flowers they'd been playing with on their lap, listening seriously to Kekobu as she began speaking.
I let my attention drift over to Araxis, who was talking to Tef'an's parent. The brin said something, their bright stare catching mine while a broad, sharp grin flashed across their features, and I saw, even across this square, that Araxis had flushed silver, although he was smiling as well.
I waved, and the brin waved back, tail twitching in amusement as they jostled Araxis's shoulder affectionately, as if they'd been friends for ages.
Inside the wall, the children had finished their circle and the gates to the yard opened with clusters spilling out in a cacophony of excitement.
Adrathi ran into the building, and when she emerged, she had her shoes tugged back on.
By the time she'd met up with Sadin and Talvi, just inside the gate, Araxis had found my side again. "We agreed on tomorrow after school. I'll have Thodin walk them there and back. I gather he worked with quite a few brin in Core Ward, so he is accustomed to their demeanour."
"Smart," I said. Then, tilting my head in a little closer, "What were they saying?"
Araxis huffed out a breath, looking at me sideways, still silver and adorable. "He had some rather complimentary things to say about you. He said he much prefers it when you stop by when you're out for a run. He said that he hoped I –" He stopped, flushing an even deeper colour.
A grin tugged at the corners of my mouth. "He hoped you what?" I asked, nudging him as the children began threading their way through the crowd toward us.
"That he hoped I enjoyed licking the sweat from your body," he finished in a rush, before Adrathi threw herself at my waist, squeezing me hard.
"Yeah," I said, delighted. "They're an open bunch."
"Hm, yes," intoned Araxis, eyes sparkling. "He extended another invitation to us, which I went ahead and declined. I hope you don't mind."
I barked out a laugh. Yeah, I could bet what kind of invitation a brin might extend to a couple who he was still watching with interest across the square. "Yeah, that's fine," I said, dropping my voice to a whisper and craning my head next to Araxis's ear. "Once you've been to one brin orgy –"
"Look what I made you!" cried Talvi as they approached us, holding up the flowers they'd woven together. "It's a crown!"
Araxis, his cheeks delightfully pink, looked anywhere but at me as I picked Adrathi up and nestled her against my side.
He knelt down and dipped his head, and Talvi beamed as they put it over his crest, fussing as they settled it into place.
"You have my gratitude," he said in abayan.
Then, in Standard, "Would we all like to go get sweet tea on the way home? "
Adrathi kicked her heels happily against my side and purred in delight, and even Sadin lit up like a firework.
We headed away from school, walking down a small pedestrian road that was teeming with market stalls and brightly coloured storefronts.
In the tiny tea shop, the children made their way to stand in line and were very serious when telling Araxis that they would place their orders on their own, while Araxis hung back and watched.
It was a busy shop – there were a lot of brightly coloured posters and what felt like a dozen small candy-coloured tables in a place that should have housed no more than three – so I stepped outside to wait.
The road was divided by a verge with a raised lip and skinny trees that reached for a sun that wasn't there.
I sat myself on the edge, kicking my heels against the ground and watching the shop facade.
I could see the kids waffling over their choices through the front windows.
Sadin went and asked Araxis a serious question, and looked put out when he got his answer, shuffling back toward the counter with his head ducked.
Watching them like this – the three children burbling with enthusiasm, Araxis supervising with his arms crossed and crowned with flowers – made my chest ache in the most delicious way.
It felt like this wasn't something that should get to be mine.
Like somewhere, the universe had made a mistake that had worked wonderfully in my favour, and I couldn't help but feel that one day, some accountant in a cosmic record-keeping warehouse would notice the clerical error and fate would come rushing in to correct the mistake.
Although maybe I'd already paid the price upfront.
Neither of us had been given an easy road; our road together sure as hell hadn't been smooth.
Fuck, we still had a massive amount of work ahead of us to try and get Creche Thiel back on solid footing, to handle Vivith and whatever they were working on, to deal with the leverage the Unbound had against us.
So maybe this was righting the error. Maybe this was what we got for suffering through the rest of it, on our own and together.
I was so lost in my thoughts that I didn't notice someone approaching until they sat down next to me. I jerked, startled, and turned.
Vivith blinked back at me.
"You're not supposed to be here," I said like an absolute idiot. "You haven't made a petition for a meeting. You're not even supposed to talk to me yet."
They fluted out a derisive sound. "You are as observant as ever," they said, acrid.
Then, eyes gleaming as they studied me, "You are wearing the caldathess.
I suppose it was inevitable that you would relent.
Even Araxis would lose interest after long enough, so I am certain your timing was no coincidence. "
They wore their customary expression, that same sneering superiority that shaped their angular features starting from the very first time that I'd met them through to every time since.
It was like a song, calling to something dark and awful inside of me.
I could feel the anger rising in me, alive and hungry; I could feel it crackling through my chest. Radioactive, humming brighter and brighter.
My fingers tightened, hard, on the edge of the wall.
I swallowed once, biting back the thousand things I wanted to say.
Instead, I risked a quick glance at Araxis, but his back was to the window; he was standing at the counter inside as the three children talked up at him, animated.
Should I just walk away? Or would he feel me looking and see that Vivith was here and then come out to my rescue?
Or, I don't know, maybe he'd come to Vivith's rescue; I felt dangerous in that moment.
Shards of pain radiated up my knuckles where they'd split before when I'd lost control, still not healed all the way.
I didn't want to lose control. I didn't want to be someone who lost control, not like that.
"It is a relief that it is done, in any case," Vivith said, sounding for all the world bored.
They examined their sharp talons, flicking the ends against their thumb.
"I do not think I would have been able to bear watching him court you again.
It is punishment enough to have seen him falling all over himself to impress you.
There were times when the embarrassment I felt on his behalf made my skin crawl.
Now, perhaps Araxis will be able to conduct himself appropriately.
We should call that my atonement and be done with it. "
"You know what's actually embarrassing?" I started, a little breathy.
I wanted to say so much. I could taste the words on the tip of my tongue.
Making snide comments to boost your own ego, that was embarrassing.
Being a conniving little shit, that was embarrassing.
Shoving your own family into the line of fire, that was embarrassing.
Using privileged information for leverage, that was embarrassing.
"Oh," said Vivith, dry. "Do enlighten me.
Will you endeavour to use a multi-syllabic word today?
I am not certain that your new habit of paying to get beaten senseless in a filthy little gym will have helped you with your eloquence – but then our Araxis is not particularly interested in what you have to say, is he?
At least your little exercise in attention-seeking via self-harm has finally come to its conclusion. "
I stood up, sudden, and gave my hands a hard, violent shake before shoving them into my pockets. They curled into vicious fists, nails digging crescents into my palms.