* * *
'Sy
* * *
I close my eyes and tell myself that this can't last forever. It's less consoling when I realize that isn't true - if I truly trigger one of her moods, she might ensure that I do stay forever this time. I'll come back to my home and find the world ended, desolate and dead.
Still, I can't skip a custody talk.
I open my eyes, steel myself, ignore Diyn's chuckling, and step into the Void.
"Oh! Why, look at you. I didn't expect you to be here so early." Tia's golden voice rolls over me, full of mirth and surprise. At the same time that my hackles rise, I'm fighting not to cringe. It's like this every time... well, I like to think so, but every time I suspect it gets a tiny bit worse. I turn to face her. She's not on her throne as I expected.
No, she is playing croquet in striped knee socks, a sundress, and a big floppy hat. In her own throne room. Having known Tia for as long as I have, I am still struck speechless. She hands me a mallet.
"There we are, dear 'Sy, it's your turn." She steps back, waves of golden hair rippling over her shoulders as she shifts. She doesn't have an ounce of guile in her expression... except she does. She's just hiding it, as always.
"I thought you said you didn't expect me." I examine my croquet mallet, and then notice that its handle tapers off into a tiny trident. How... thoughtful.
"Well, there's never any bad time for croquet." And by the tone of her voice, there's no other explanation needed and no more discussion warranted on the topic. I probably don't want the real explanation, come to think of it.
I'm still staring at the mallet. The little trident on it bewilders me. "I came here to talk, my Lady."
She sighs heavily. "You never come here for fun! It's always business. Why can't we have a little family time every now and then?"
I grimace. "Family time in the Void tends to run a bit over schedule, doesn't it?" This is wandering away from the point, and I'm getting nervous. I don't like it in the Void. It's hard to keep my focus. What was I... oh, yes. "But speaking of family time... I know our meeting concerning Stevane was coming up soon, but I felt I needed to bridge the matter sooner--"
"Oh! Oh yes! Stevane!" Tia drops her mallet, then brings her hand to her forehead. "I did want to have our meeting a little early. Thank you for reminding me! I think it's high time she visited again. It's been simply ages since I've seen her."
I blink. Perhaps the Void is tempering my ire at being interrupted, or perhaps I'm truly surprised to hear Tia lying to me. Time does have its discrepancies here, but Stevane has visited recently enough according to her schedule, and well... Tia knows she's lying, and that's how I know she's lying. I'm flabbergasted that she'd do it to my face. Does she think she can get away with it, or that somehow I can't see?
She cocks her head at me, starry eyes wide and concerned. "Is something wrong with my request?"
I sigh heavily. Just trying to strongarm me, is all. "It's a little too soon, I'm afraid--"
"No, it's not." Her tone was so cold just now. I have to double-take. "She simply must visit, 'Sy. It's time." Again. Again she's lying.
"It's not." I keep the emotion out of my voice, simply stating a fact. That should be enough. "If you'd like her to visit early, well... maybe something can be arranged with Jhe h'Logos, but I think it's the worst of times, Tia. You insist these vacations of hers will only be a week or two, but you know very well that on our side of reality, years pass." It's true. Stevane and Jenny were born months apart, but Jenny is eighteen and Stevane is still sixteen. Though I must admit, it's cute when Stevane insists she's the older sister. "You always deny it--"
"I do not, a week is a week!"
I keep myself composed through the interruption. "We can't have her disappearing while things are so hectic, my Lady. And not when she's obviously busy with her own tasks." I scowl. "And her own romances, which you always fought for her freedom to explore." It leaves a bad taste in my mouth, but Tia is impossible to argue down when it comes to... well, everything, but most especially her daughter's freedom. Which is why this conversation is so very strange. She's never insisted Stevane visit before. She always asks if Stevane would like to have a little vacation. It's our daughter's choice, in the end.
"She can have her romance after she returns. A boy worth anything will wait for her."
I raise an eyebrow. Tia stares back with the full gaze of the Void. I find myself lost for a moment... but my stance doesn't change. "Why now?"
"Why have you kept her so long up until the present?" Tia's voice is a bark. "We only have her, you know. She's precious. She needs to be safe."
Ah.
She glares at me. "You let someone take her. She was almost more lost to us than Letitcia--" She turns away and bites her lip. "At least Letitcia talks to me, sometimes. I can't find her, but... at least we know she's still alive! With Stevane..." She won't look at me, now.
I sigh. "Titty wouldn't let herself stay sheltered. You respected that, admired it. We've been lucky with Stevane - she didn't want to roam very much, detested being away from Beleth for long. But she's a capable young lady and she'll go where she wants and have her own adventures. That's something I had to accept on some level when she started her Armed training... and when Titty went Armed before her."
Tia glares into the Void. She then bends over, picks up her mallet, rises, and clocks me in the side of the head with it. Then she storms off to her throne.
I stare after her and rub the side of my head.
"Fine. Keep her in danger." She perches on her throne, glaring at me like an owl cursing the daylight from a hollow stump. "I've sent Gerald back to you how many times now? Perhaps one day I'll have to do the same with her... we can only hope. She may not even return."
I sigh and pick up my own mallet. It seems appropriate, and when Tia gives you a weapon in her realm, you bloody well take it. Then I step towards the throne. "Do you want to know where Letitcia is?"
She narrows her eyes. "Of course I want to know where our eldest daughter is. What does that have to do with anything other than proof for my point?"
"Robinstead. That's where she is."
Tia stares at me.
"Stevane found it out from her captors while she was kidnapped, but I hadn't had time to look into it until now, and I wanted to make sure I didn't make the wrong move and scare Titty off or endanger her, or..." I look away. "Lots of things. Anyway. Stevane wanted me to be the one that told you. She's not sure what to think. She's only ever known Jenny."
"I..." Tia's hand covers her mouth. "Dear Lettie, in Robinstead? Really, all this time?"
I nod.
Then, well, Tia has to scramble off of her throne and go and hug me, and accidentally hit me in the head with the mallet again, and I put up with her for a while longer, and I suppose that is family time.
"Bring her back." Tia doesn't have that irrational hitch in her voice anymore. "You're her Daddy. Go and get her, and bring her home."
"What if she doesn't want to come?" I look away. "Her disappearance wasn't... just a kidnapping. She was out on a mission. According to Stevane, she might have even--" My throat goes dry for a moment. "Defected."
A stern look takes over Tia's features. "Then bring her back, and I'll spank her."
I blink.
"And before you go to Robinstead, ask Stevane if she'd like to come see her Mommy. It'll just be a week or two. I'm sure she needs a vacation after all of this that she's gone through. Jhe h'Logos has plenty of Poets to do his work."
There's an air of finality about that, but at least she's leaving the choice to Stevane as usual... and I've been given my leave. Gratitude swells within me. I bow. "I shall return as soon as I have news for you." Then I disappear before she can hit me with the mallet again.
It really does get worse every time. I'm sure of it.
* * *
Myles
* * *
Stevane curls under my arm as if it's a blanket, then buries her face against my side. I raise my eyebrows. It's like her usual wakeup routine, but we're well into morning. "Don't want to get out of bed?"
She shakes her head, and I feel the usual wave of crankiness that emanates from her at the very thought of getting up. I tend to be spared (somewhat) from her morning rage, so I'm not concerned for myself. She tends to set her brothers on fire if they try to wake her. But she's essentially using me as a coverlet right now, so I consider myself safe. Still... this isn't normal for her after she's woken up.
"Are you that tired? Is it work?" That would be strange as well - Stevane enjoys her current job almost more than she enjoys leisure time. As opposed to teaching the youngsters how not to destroy the Hall with their writing (or, at times, how to destroy the Hall), babysitting the former Jhe o'Sul is something she relishes. He frustrates her, but I think she frustrates him more, which is something she needs now that there's no Poet King that needs herding.
She sighs as if the world's resting on her chest. Which, considering all, would make the world a cozier place. "Not my work." She peeks up at me, gold eyes as baleful as a wet cat's. "Your work. You're going on mission soon. You're going to be too far away, and I just got you back after all that training. I barely saw you!" She bites her lip. "I didn't even know where you were, and I couldn't even write about not knowing that! I couldn't talk about it either!"
I wrap my arms around her and squeeze, sort of a sneak hug attack. It's hard, being in Julia's division, and I know the training won't be the hardest part. I'm still fretting over Stevane awakening while I was away, getting her Arms in a place where no one could help her but herself. I fret, but I'm still so very proud.
Wait, what did she... "What do you mean I'm going on a mission?" I raise an eyebrow. "I haven't heard anything about that."
Stevane gives me a flat look, then sighs and points to her temple. "Poet."
I close my eyes and let out my own weary sigh. "Jhe Julia will never forgive Jhe h'Logos for existing."
Stevane has to giggle at that. Then she sighs again, the sound more content. She nestles against my side more comfortably, as if it's a place she could stay for awhile. "You know, I envy you."
I raise an eyebrow.
"I'll never get into your division, because I'm too much of a security hassle, but it's the most interesting one. And I never get to read all the stories, because the Shadows' stories are so rarely written, and if they are they're not kept where I can get to them." She closes her eyes and sighs. "I'm not sure if I'm lucky to even know about them, but there was no stopping it with Lute living in Daddy's house. It annoys him, but well... I heard his stories like other people hear music in their heads."
I cuddle her. "I could tell you my stories later, after my first mission." Really, it's a little weird to say that. I didn't expect to be out in the field so quickly, but I suppose the Judge doesn't hold back once someone's proven themselves. And I am proud to have proven myself. And by my skills, I fit my division very well. It's just... sometimes I still wonder if I ended up in the right place. With Stevane here next to me, it's even easier to wonder about that.
She bites her lip. "Maybe. If you get clearance to tell me."
I chuckle. "Will it matter? You said you'll hear the stories anyway. Like music." I twine my fingers through her hair, tracing around the edge of her ear.
"I try to stop." Her voice is very quiet now. "We can train ourselves not to hear. I worked very hard on that. But then we have to be very aware of what it is we're supposed to be hearing, so we don't miss anything that might've been important..." She groans and buries her face in my side again. "Mrphhlle muphf."
"...Yes?"
She looks up. "Sorry. I was just mumbling." She looks away. "I want you to stay. But I can't." She blinks. I'm a little confused myself - I wonder what she meant by that. "I um... meant to say that you can't, but I..." Her eyes widen.
I poke her. "Yes?" Gerude's complaints about Erynn and his eternally unturned pages come to mind.
"I have to go do my job now. And with clothes on." She stretches up and kisses me on the mouth. I manage to catch her before she leans away, prolonging that kiss.
After all, I'm not going to see her again for a while.
* * *
'Sy
* * *
I've a few minutes to wait before the new Jhe h'Logos is available for me to talk to. Until then, I wait outside the suite his infernal brother is currently staying in. They do talk a lot - I suppose it's good, and Diyn tells me there's no reason not to trust the former Jhe o'Audiva Rocale now. Then Diyn follows that with: Until, of course, we're not supposed to trust him, and I'm left flailing for a reason to keep him in Radia instead of ousting him back into his own Empire.
Stevane jogs up to the door, her uniform a bit wrinkled - which is odd, she tends to keep it up well. She's very proud that she's earned the right to wear a non-trainee uniform, even though the differences between trainee uniforms and normal ones are very small. (We don't like to let our enemies know at a glance which of our fighters are the inexperienced ones.) She comes to a halt, panting, then looks up. As soon as she sees me, she blushes.
I decide not to think about it as hard as I can possibly not think about anything. That's how I handle Stevane and Myles now. She's already convinced me not to be an imposition in her relationships, and if I so much as make a mention of it she might think she has to do that again, and once was enough. I never want to hear details about my daughter having sex again - it's much worse than considering your parents in the act.
Wait, I don't have parents. I mean, there's Emperor Theos and all, but that's a little different. And I don't think he's ever seen a woman naked on purpose. ...I can't believe I just gave thought to that.
"Hi!" Stevane's recovered her normal facial tone, and now she's actually happy to see me. I smile back.
"Good morning. Are you doing well?"
She grins. "I love my new job." She crosses her arms and sighs, staring at the door. "Jhe h'Leste said he'd be done already." There's that pining edge in her voice that's hard to ignore. It's the tone of someone who wishes they were elsewhere. I try to ignore it.
"Really? Is Jhe h'Logos's brother fun to work with, then?" I do wonder, a little. I trust the new Jhe h'Logos, but...
"Of course! He's just as stubborn as Jhe h'Lete was!" Of course, as she says that, Jhe h'Logos opens the door, and past him I see Jhe Ebrelle staring out at us. As soon as he sees me, the former Jhe o'Audiva Rocale flinches away, an actual hint of fear about his face.
Jhe h'Logos just smiles down at Stevane. "Certainly there are very few people who can be awarded that honor." He steps forward and to the side, allowing Stevane passage. She bows, then grins up at him.
"Bye, Daddy! Have a nice day!" And then she's in the room and the door closes, and she's alone with the man who tried to make a puppet out of my youngest son.
Jhe h'Logos brushes my arm as he steps forward, his eyes skirting up to mine. I'm still a little thrown off by the new difference in our heights - Elete was shorter than this man. I'm not looking so far down anymore, which means he's closer to me, which means he can scrutinize me that much more. I don't much like it. Then he closes those eyes (Elete's eyes, but with much more guile in them) and sketches a very polite bow. "Jhe h'Akribastes." The title rolls off his tongue with far more pleasure than anyone else ever voices it. He rises, those mirthful blue eyes studying me again, that gaze so piercing that it's as if he's touching me.
"Jhe h'Logos." I return my own bow, else risk impropriety. "I wondered if you could assist me."
"Jhe Elric will need some tea before he can answer your questions - would you do me the pleasure of accompanying me while I prepare it?"
I blink. He strides forward, but it's a moment before I remember to walk as well. "You expected this, then?" I wonder what tipped him off. Perhaps he really is better at Elete's 'Time Lord' bit than I give him credit for.
"No!" His tone is jolly as he says it, almost proud. "Jhe Elric did. He informed me a few moments ago. Your actions are hard for me to anticipate because you shield them so well - a credit to your office, but hard to account for by mine."
I blink. It's strange to hear him so readily admit that - Elete guarded anything that might imply he had an edge. He was so afraid to show weakness, after all. Still, it's good news to hear. I don't want every Poet knowing what I'm going about. It's bad enough that one of them did today - that sets me on edge almost as much as being in the Poet Hall. "Very well, then. He'll be ready."
Jhe h'Logos pats my arm and I keep myself from jumping. "You're a bit on edge. It's alright, I've seen to it that the shenanigans have something else to do besides annoy you here. There's no reason to avoid the Poet Hall."
I raise an eyebrow. "There's no problem there. Why would I come here if I don't have business?"
He looks taken aback for a moment, opens his mouth to reply, then shuts it after a few moments, seeming to deflate. He looks away. "No reason, of course. Ah, here we are. Would you like some coffee, or would tea suffice?" There's something odd in his tone now, but I'm not sure what.
"Tea would be very nice, thank you."
"Good."
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