Chapter 8
“And after we finished breaking down everything from the festival, Liss and I went back to helping to build houses,” Adam finishes recapping his week. “It is exhausting, man.”
“Sounds like it.” I want to commiserate with my jailed friend, but I know I’m gonna come up short.
It’s Astraday, which means visiting day and the start of a new week.
After the insanely fun festival last weekend, the rest of the week at work was slow and uneventful.
Even with the ranger’s scouting, there’s been no new leads on the brimstone robbery.
Between that and the mess with Thog, morale has felt kinda low around the station.
“What about you? How’s the work stuff going?” Only Adam would be in jail and still be interested in hearing about my work week.
“It’s been good, pretty busy,” I lie, desperate to change the subject. “Have you guys made any friends here? Corrine said she joined a bible study group.”
“The people Adam hangs out with in here are considerably less educated than that,” Nate snarks and rubs his neck. “Honestly, everyone is.”
“Don’t be a jerk, Nate.” Adam gives him an elbow nudge. “It’s not easy. Most of them don’t speak Common, but there’s a few guys I’m friendly with. And hey, we’re almost halfway through our sentence.”
“Shit, you’re right.” Just a little over a month until they’re released. “By the next time I see you, it’ll be over halfway.”
“Thanks for the calendar update.” God, do I fucking hate Nate.
“And how are you doing?” Why am I even asking?
“Fine.” He’s rubbing the back of his neck again. “Just...ready to get out of here already.”
“We all are, Nate,” Adam points out. “Even David.”
“Yeah.” Even me. Right?
After visiting hour ends, it’s a quiet walk home.
The reminder that my stay here is nearly halfway over brings up some weird feelings.
If Khazak notices anything, he doesn’t say it.
I ignore them, pressing forward with the rest of our plans for the day, which include sitting on the couch, reading, and taking a nap.
After all the craziness of last weekend, I’m happy for it.
Solisday is a different story because it’s time for another family dinner at Khazak’s parents.
We still get to wake up late since it’s the only thing we’re doing today.
As the hour draws closer, I start feeling a little anxious as I remember some of the hiccups of last time.
It’ll be fine, David. Just don’t act weird if you find out he’s got four grandmothers or something.
We leave earlier than we did last time, Khazak clearly hoping to avoid any extra guilt or clean-up duty for not having helped with the cooking.
Familial guilt can be a powerful motivator, and one I am well acquainted with.
It’s Jarek who opens the door for us when we arrive, hugging us once we are inside.
Jarek is Khazak’s stepfather. He has a slim build with short black hair and a neatly trimmed mustache-goatee combo.
He looks about fifteen years older than Khazak, and I would guess he’s probably that much younger than his other two husbands as well.
I don’t know the full story of how they met, just that it happened after Khazak was born.
“Boys, we were not expecting you this early,” Jarek locks the door behind us. “Your father only just got started in the kitchen.”
“We wanted to see if we could be of any help.” Who is this “we” he speaks of?
“Rurig will love that.” Jarek smiles, knowing his husband.
“Actually, where is Yogik?” Khazak asks after his brother, the family’s middle child.
“I believe he is in the kitchen as well,” Jarek replies, nodding.
“Perfect. Would you mind taking David to say hello to Ayla and the others?” Huh? “Yogik and I need to have a discussion, and then we will join you.” Uh oh.
“...Sure thing.” Jarek looks at his stepson questioningly before leading me from the hall.
Jarek walks me into the living room, or the den, or whatever they call the room with the couches and fireplaces around here.
Ayla, Khazak’s twin sister is here, as are his younger siblings Urzsa and Ignatz.
They look different, their hair color now a matching red.
They’re playing some sort of board game at a table in the corner, barely lifting their eyes at our entrance.
“David!” Ayla gets up from her seat to greet me. “It is good to see you again.”
“You too, Ayla.” I happily return her hug. Khazak’s sister just returned from a year-long globe-spanning trip, and frankly, I think she’s awesome.
“Ignatz? Ursza, do you want to say—?” The two young orcs grunt and half-wave in my direction, making their father sigh. “Sorry about them.”
“It’s okay, I have a younger sister.” At least there’s only one of her.
“Were we like that when we were younger?” Ayla asks, nodding her head in their direction.
“Antisocial? No. Quiet? Yes, you and Khazak were, at least.” Jarek sounds more amused by his children’s behavior than anything else. “Yogik never shut up.”
“So, David, did you enjoy the festival last week?” Ayla asks me. I hesitantly open my mouth to answer before she holds her hand up. “We don’t need any of the details, just a general question.”
“It was...a lot of fun.” I think carefully about how to word my responses here. “It was also kind of crazy? I don’t think I’ve ever heard of anything like that anywhere else in the world.” If there are, I’d like to know about them.
“Imagine how popular it would be if people actually knew about our city,” Jarek adds. “What about Khazak? Did he have a good time?”
“Yeah, he was practically giddy.” I remember how excited he was at times. “All the food, the drinking, the dancing...”
“Wait, you actually got Khazak to dance?” Ayla looks shocked at my news. “My brother?”
“I mean, beer was involved, so I don’t think I can take all the credit.” I’ll keep the story of how he got jealous to myself for his sake.
“He has been waiting for years to have someone he could take.” I remember Ragnar saying something similar. Both Ayla and Jarek look genuinely happy to hear about Khazak and the festival.
“I didn’t even find out he was named after your great-great-great—” I circle my finger in the air a few times since I’m not sure how many times I need to say that. “—great grandfather until we saw the play on the last day.”
“Really?” Ayla looks curious. “I’m surprised he was able to keep that to himself considering how obsessed he was with that story when we were teenagers.”
“‘Obsessed’ is a strong word,” Jarek counters.
“It is also an accurate word.” Maybe not.
“Khazak had always taken a small amount of pride in being named after one of V’rok’sh Tah’lj’s founders, but once he was old enough to learn more about the rest of Khazak Steelrun’s life, he really connected with it. ”
“‘Connected?’ David, he bought his first boyfriend a collar,” Ayla deadpans. “It was weird.”
“It was adorable,” Jarek defends his stepson from his stepdaughter. “Poor thing was heartbroken when the boy rejected it. Barely came out of his room for weeks.”
Aww, I can just picture a sad little Khazak (okay, not that little) crying into his pillow over a boy he liked.
It is both one of the cutest and saddest things I can imagine.
It also makes me realize even more how important me wearing Khazak’s collar is to him.
He had it specially made, his family’s crest engraved into the lock.
Ayla and Jarek are both chuckling when we see Khazak entering the room with Yogik in tow, and all three of us quickly straighten our posture. That was obvious.
Khazak gives us a weird look but doesn’t say anything before pushing his brother forward. “Yogik has something he would like to tell you, David.”
“Yes.” Yogik looks back at his brother, annoyed, but continues somewhat stiffly. “I am very sorry if anything I said last time you were here made you uncomfortable. I was only joking, but it was still inappropriate.”
“Thanks.” Okay, this is pretty funny. “I, uh, accept your apology.”
Yogik smiles and nods his head. “I believe I am still needed in the kitchen.” He turns to his brother as he leaves the room, his annoyed look meeting Khazak’s smirk.
“Yog hit on David after the last dinner?” Ayla questions at their brother’s hasty exit.
“Something like that,” Khazak grumbles, probably remembering what I told him about Yogik asking to share me. “Now, what was it you were all talking about when I came in the room?”
“Just some old things about when you were in school, you know,” Jarek tries his best to play it off.
“Mhmm,” Khazak hums his agreement but narrows his eyes at both orcs suspiciously.
“Oh, I forgot to tell you Ayla! He took me to Shad’rok Springs a couple of weeks back.” I shoot for a subject change that I think will make both twins happy.
“Really?” Ayla smiles, looking pleasantly surprised at her brother. “What did you think?”
“It was beautiful. The water was so clear.” I reach over to tug on Khazak’s wrist. “I’m kind of hoping we can go back before I leave.”
“I think that can be arranged.” Khazak smiles and reaches for my hand, giving it a squeeze.
“You only have about five weeks to go now, right?” Jarek’s question makes Khazak’s smile falter.
“Uh, yeah, just about.” I try not to let any of the melancholy I feel show. “Just talked to my friends this morning actually. They are pretty eager to get on the road again.”
“I know it was an unplanned detour on your journey, but I do hope you still enjoyed the time you spent here,” Jarek continues.
“Yeah, you managed to get here in time for not just the festival, but to meet me!” Ayla adds cockily.
“Actually, that reminds me. Khazak, do you know who else was happy to hear about my return? High Priest Bhok. He stopped by a couple of weeks ago after he learned I was back in town. Ended up staying for dinner and mentioned that someone told him I had a lot of free time. You wouldn’t know where he might have gotten that idea, would you? ”