Chapter 23 #3
"Going so soon?" asked Vivith, still seated on the wall.
"Or are you afraid you'll lose your temper?
Even abayan children can control themselves, Sashen.
How will you be up to the task of sitting at Araxis's side when you can't even manage your emotions?
" They said the last word with such scorn that a part of my brain whited out, and when I came to, I was inside of the shop at Araxis's side, as he blinked at me, concerned.
I inhaled, hard and sharp, then puffed out a breath. "We have a guest," I said, as he pushed the sweet tea he'd ordered for me toward me, which required that I uncurl one of my hands, relax my white-knuckled grip enough to take it.
Araxis turned his head, and if I hadn't been watching, I would have missed the play of subtle emotion that flashed across his features.
In a second, it was all smoothed away again, and he simply looked back at me, shrugging one shoulder.
"I see no one of any note." He leaned and pressed a quick kiss to my mouth, smiling as he pulled away.
"Adrathi, Talvi, Sadin, we are going home to be with our creche-mates. Adrathi, take my hand as we leave."
The children, gathering their sweet confections, dutifully spilled out of the shop.
I could see the moment that Sadin recognized Vivith's familiar, shadow-shrouded shape, perched across from the shop, their angular body hunched forward as they stared at us with dark eyes.
He stiffened for a moment, casting a wide-eyed look back at Araxis, then at me, and then he reached for Talvi's hand.
"Let's go," he said, tugging, and Talvi nodded, sipping on their violently pink tea through a glittery straw.
"You follow behind them," Araxis murmured, nudging me forward a little. "Stay close."
So I did, taking a few quick steps to catch up as Sadin resolutely led the way down the pedestrian street and toward the main thoroughfare that would take us home.
I spared a glance behind us. Adrathi had started to cry, and Araxis knelt down at her side, speaking calmly and seriously, still wearing his flower crown. Vivith hadn't moved.
I couldn't keep watching. This was creche business, yes, but it wasn't my creche business.
I caught up to Talvi and Sadin, sipping on my tea.
It tasted almost like apples with some sort of warm spice, although I couldn't appreciate it with the way that anger and apprehension were simmering in my gut, sour.
"I'll miss the station," said Talvi seriously as we approached the corner of the thoroughfare. "I like it here."
"But Thelessia is on a whole planet," said Sadin, slurping loudly on his tea. "It has a real sky and real clouds and real dirt under the snow. Teacher Kekobu says it's good to put your feet in the dirt. It's probably good to put your feet in snow too."
"I like dirt," admitted Talvi slowly. "And – are there spiders on Thelessia, Sashen?"
"Spiders are from Earth," Sadin explained before I could get there. "But our Elethenn says that Xitera has lots of bugs that are good for eating."
They continued chattering away while I glanced back again as we rounded the corner.
Adrathi was walking next to Araxis now, slurping on her straw and blinking very quickly as tears dripped down her cheeks.
Vivith followed only a few paces away, but their stare was pointed downward, tracing the ground as they walked.
We continued in this way – I walked ahead with Sadin and Talvi who'd started peppering me with questions about how many planets I'd been on (one, plus an asteroid), how many stations I'd lived on (three), how many humans were on Thelessia (none, not yet anyway; there'd be one before too long), how many humans were everywhere (how could I even estimate that one?); Araxis and Adrathi walked some distance back, Vivith trailing like an unpleasant shadow – until we arrived home.
I waited outside the front door, sending the children in and waiting for Araxis and Adrathi to draw near.
"Go on," I said as Adrathi approached. "Your hatch-mates are inside.
And I've heard a rumour that they may be helping Elethenn stuff dumplings in the kitchen.
" I'd managed to fire off a message to Elethenn on the walk back saying that the kids would need a distraction, and he'd made the suggestion.
She sniffled, nodding morosely, and then shuffled in through the front door, which I closed behind her. My eyebrows raised as Araxis looked at me, face neutral; behind his shoulder, I could make out the pale mask of Vivith's features.
"So," I said slowly. "We've got a bit of time before that call with Egnax to review the schedule for the week.
" Did he just want to keep pretending Vivith, who'd obviously flouted the expected rules for completing an atonement, wasn't here?
They must have come back for some purpose, but these waters were well over my head.
Was it good that they were back now, or bad?
I mean, I wasn't expecting it to be great, not after they'd cornered me and then spent every breath doing their best to insult Araxis. And to hurt me, I supposed, but that was par for the course.
Araxis blinked slowly, then nodded. "Would you care to review some of your language lessons with me? I understand I am not as skilled a teacher as Inmadra, but I can endeavour to be as exacting."
"Sure," I said, so that's what we did. Araxis and I went inside, leaving Vivith standing on the covered walkway that led from our suite of rooms to the thoroughfare below on street level.
We reviewed my latest language exercises, sitting at the low table in the dining room while the children puttered about as Elethenn put them to work.
Adrathi found her way to my lap, where she curled up, her head resting on my chest over my heart, while I tried my level best to run through an entire conversation with Araxis in abayan – which was challenging not just because I fucked up about every three words, but also because I was having a hard time focusing on grammar, given the dark shadow I knew was lurking outside our suite.
I wanted to know what Vivith was playing at and why we were all pretending that they weren't here.
Some time later, Rodil joined us, settling in at the table.
Their perceptive stare took in Adrathi, snuggled against my chest, the pinch of Araxis's eyes, the nervous drumming of my fingers against my thighs.
When we reached a pause in the conversation, Araxis slipping into Standard to explain the error I'd just made with a conjunction, Rodil cleared their throat.
"I have finished provisioning for the medical suite on the ship.
I had hoped I might travel there shortly in order to review the installation of some of the equipment.
" Araxis nodded, and Rodil continued. "If there are any issues, I would like to have changes made before we depart.
Will you be on the ship over the next few days? "
I looked at Elethenn, mostly on accident. His knife had paused where he was slicing a purple vegetable into wafer-thin pieces, although his stare didn't move from the counter in front of him.
"Yes," said Araxis, glancing at a message that flashed on his wristband. He frowned, flicking it away. "Tomorrow night. A final meeting."
"Then you might be able to check on any changes that need to be made, if you are so inclined," said Rodil.
"Thank you, Araxis. I have some concerns about the effect that the jump may have on our Avelthe, so I hope to set things up just so.
Besides –" Their look grew a little wry, "Our Egnax has so far refused to arrange an initial medical evaluation.
I thought I might be able to corner her, if I'm there in person. "
Araxis smiled at that. "Ah, yes, she does not care greatly for physicians. I am certain you will win her over with time."
Rodil took their leave just as Araxis's wristband buzzed again, and he blinked down at the interface.
"Adrathi," murmured Araxis, "would you go and see if Yalrinn and Avelthe would care for tea?
" The moment she had scrambled out of my lap and pelted off down the hall – how those little feet sounded so loud was beyond me – he leaned in closer.
"Vivith has submitted their petition. It is addressed to both of us. "
"And that's unusual?"
He nodded. "It would suggest that Vivith makes atonement to you as well. Though – hm. We will see. Did we want to see them tonight, or wait until tomorrow?"
And as much as I wanted to leave Vivith twisting in the wind, to make them squirm, I also knew that anticipating what they might say was going to keep me up all night. "Let's do it tonight," I said, resolved. "Come on, we should talk first."
Araxis nodded and we left the kitchen, retreating to the privacy of our bedroom.
"So do you think they've actually come back with something worthwhile?" I asked the moment the door was shut. "Like a change in attitude?"
He fluted out a sound that was almost a trill, but mostly Araxis sounded exhausted. "I'm not certain. How were they, outside of the shop?"