TWO HUNDRED SIXTY-NINE: Snow XI

269

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“What a frown you wear, Stu. And so late in the night. Are your husenots causing you trouble?”

Stu realized he had been frowning, and gazing for longer than he’d intended through the floor of the room that held his husenot collection. Stepping in here to check that nothing was out of order was one of the things he liked to do before sleep, but he’d ended up lost in thought.

“No, Calassa Mom.”

She was probably on her way to bed, too, and she’d stopped at the open door when she spotted him. The dark red robe she wore had been one of her favorites ever since he’d first met her. Of his father’s spouses, Stu was closest to Olorn and Veln, but Calassa had her own place in his rearing. She was more likely to criticize his management of himself in social situations than the others. She was often the best person in the house to go to for stories about Iella. Asking for her help with almost any school assignment was bound to be fascinating, but it would take thrice as long as talking to his other parents about the same thing and sometimes result in follow-up lessons days later.

“I’m fine, and so are the husenots. I was thinking about something else.”

“Would you like to combine your thoughts with mine?” she offered. “I have time to listen if you want my ears.”

The questions that had begun to bother him after his latest talk with Alden approached his lips.

Why is Alden behaving oddly? Does it have something to do with how the ambassador treated him and the other Avowed? If I have done something myself to make him behave oddly, what is it? How do I make it better?

“I would like to keep my thoughts to myself tonight,” he said. “Thank you.”

She nodded. “Sleep well.”

He listened to her footsteps fade down the hall, feeling regret. She might have answered his questions easily. Even if she couldn’t, it would be a relief to confirm that they were difficult questions and sensible ones, so that he wouldn’t worry he was missing something obvious.

But to ask for her advice about this, he would have to explain what he was up to in the manuscript library. Most of the unusual behavior from Alden was a sudden and inexplicable lack of enthusiasm for talking about his skill, which he had always been eager to talk about and practice with Stu before. Calassa might try to tell Stu why he shouldn’t research skills for Alden, or she could say something else even more disappointing.

I should have given her a chance not to say something disappointing. She cares about me.

He looked down at the husenots again. He had placed a few particular ones in prominent positions when he returned them to their habitat last time, and they were still there. Stones that represented things he was confident in. A red one for a friendship he knew he wanted to make stronger. A black one with a white stripe down the center to remind him of difficulties he’d endured and how he’d been changed by them. A purple one for a day he longed for in the future, when he would greet his father as someone who walked the same path.

And I’ll tell him I’m all right. You not only raised a child to adulthood, but to knighthood. I am well. I can walk with firm steps beside you all now, and you can rely on me as much as anyone else. We’ll make this universe a better place together.

Even if I started from far behind.

Even if I’ll have to travel part of the way on my own.

Stu still listened for Calassa, but she’d gone too far. The loudest sound in the room was the trickle of fresh water into the husenots’ pool.

His eyes lingered on the red one.

I’ll call him again before bed. To see if he’s behaving more like himself now.

And if he was still being odd, Stu could ask him why directly. It was blunt, but Alden was not someone who was offended by plain communication. And plain communication would strengthen their friendship. If there was a problem, they would solve it together.

Stu liked this decision. He headed up to his room to make the call.

******

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Alden had thought he’d have a day or two before another talk with Stuart. He’d been wrong. Not long after he’d made it back to Celena North, Stuart had called him, on a mission to understand him better through gentle interrogation. He was very empathetic and caring, very eager to help, as he stabbed Alden with a hundred pointy little questions.

It was over now, but Alden was still bleeding out.

“I realized after talking to you that you didn’t answer anything I asked about your skill. Do you want to talk about it now?”

In his bedroom floor, he pressed his body up, trying to calm down by analyzing his pushup form instead of reliving the conversation.

“If not now, when?”

He should have expected this. Stuart had heard him say he was having a bad day and not focusing well, and he’d been temporarily distracted by Alden bringing up the stupid countdown timer. But Stuart was also in possession of a written list of questions he needed Alden to answer so that he could move forward with his research into what spells and skills would be good for Alden.

A motivated Stuart holding a list and working hard for the sake of his friend’s existential wellbeing wasn’t an opponent who could be dodged for long.

Apparently, he was an opponent who could barely be dodged for a few hours.

“You’re still coming over when I’m home from school this weekend, aren’t you? Did you finish writing down your recollections about what happened when you saved Zeridee-und’h?”

Stuart was confused.

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

He had good reason to be confused.

Before now, Alden hadn’t shown many signs of wanting to avoid sharing when it came to skill-related things. They’d practiced for the bokabv together. Played catch with balls of dirt and leaves. Made a kickass puddle shield with an authority assist from Stuart that Alden had been undeniably thrilled about.

“You’re being odd about this, aren’t you? Is it still about feeling like you can’t do anything for me in return? You’re not mad at me for some reason?”

Alden was on his twenty-fifth slow pushup. They weren’t working. Maybe he should try a handstand like Haoyu.