Chapter 36 #3
“Ah, thank you.” That was a tremendous relief.
He could never have asked Tiberius to change his schedule, but the two of them talking about it would almost certainly be reassuring.
And Minerva would love the treat of seeing her brother unexpectedly.
“I’m sure that will be a help. You— let’s see.
Don’t feel you have to try to explain me or my decisions.
That’s not your job or your burden. But being there to listen, that makes me feel better. ”
“Glad to.” Tiberius considered, then added, “Mother will care about the gossip, what it means for her projects, but I don’t think she’ll be upset.
And the divorce means she can just sort of wave her hand and say, well, apparently there was more reason than she realised at the time, and change the subject.
” He got Electra’s pitch and pacing just about dead on, enough to startle Claudio into a laugh.
“I can hear her say that, just so. I hope you’re right.
I expect it’s the sort of thing I tell them and then I go away again promptly and come back in a week or so when they’re ready to talk more about it.
That’s fine. It’s a significant change to think about,” Claudio added more earnestly.
“You can decide we stop talking about it whenever you like, too.”
Tiberius shook his head, then he said, “May I venture an observation?” Claudio nodded once.
“You have seemed...” Tiberius considered his words.
“Better. I want to say happier, but I’m not sure that’s the right word.
A container for something. Like a talisman is, an object and a container both.
Since about when— when you say you decided on what you’re doing. ”
“Have I?” Maybe it had shown far more than he’d realised, at least to anyone who bothered to look.
Gabe hadn’t commented about it, or Doyle, but they might not have.
He might work up to asking sometime. In private.
He let out a slow breath, feeling something loosen in him that had been stiff and tense.
“Thank you for that. It’s hard to tell from the inside what it looks like.
Orion swears my duelling’s better, but there can be other reasons for that. ”
“I’d— I keep thinking you ought to have a talisman to help.
Can I ask them when we get back? Mistress Mereid and Master Ifan, and Master Glisial?
” That burst out like a river coming into flood.
His son, eager for that kind of help, reaching for it.
“Would you, I mean, I’m not qualified to make it yet, but I have ideas. ”
“If you think they’d be open to the question, absolutely.
I can’t swear when I’ll be able to get free again for a bit for a consultation with any warning, but—” Claudio spread both hands out.
“The resources aren’t a problem, you know that.
If you’ve an idea, I’d like to see what comes of it, if it’s a manageable one in their eyes.
There’s none too much time for that sort of work. ”
Tiberius nodded, and Claudio could see how his mind was now spinning off into ideas.
He was curious about what Tiberius thought up, but the gift of Tiberius wanting to, turning his knowledge on something for Claudio, that felt like the most precious treasure.
Then Tiberius paused, coming back to another question.
“Can I meet him? I mean, properly, to have a conversation. I know you introduced him at the Faire.”
“Matty?” They had met, but briefly, when Tiberius came by the Fairlight tent. “You want to?”
“Please,” Tiberius met Claudio’s eyes now, deliberately. “I’d like to know who makes you smile like that. Talk like that. Take this sort of risk. Seems like he’s got to be an interesting person, with plenty of merits of his own.”
“Well. I think we can certainly find a chance. Wednesday, maybe, when Mother’s out, though not at the house?
Somewhere private. He likes fiddly administrative things, even more than I do.
Matty had a complicated time after the war.
He was doing that sort of work, the kind that mattered tremendously but had a lot of sharp edges, at Nuremberg.
” That was probably as much as Claudio ought to say, but at least there was something easy to follow.
“But bohort’s a grand topic to start. He pays attention to a lot of the matches. ”
“I think that’s all I want to talk about right now. And you must need to get on, right? Uncle Orion and the duelling salle there?” Tiberius half stood, gesturing.
“I admit I could use a bit of taking out my frustration on Orion, where none of it will connect.” Claudio stood as well, feeling something in his shoulder pop softly. “But that conversation about a talisman first, at least the idea of it.”
That last part was a quick conversation, working out the scheduling. But Tiberius’s apprentice masters seemed quite pleased by the idea and promptly went about pulling out more reading material for him. When Claudio left, ten minutes later, he promised to update as there was more.
It had gone so differently than he’d expected, far better than he ought to deserve. And now, at least, it was out in the open, and it would be at least a hair easier to talk about further. Assuming, of course, that further was relevant.