Shady

"I'd be honored," Aleth answered. Delighted, in fact. The children were young so they probably didn't have much useful information, yet, but maybe they'd offer more insight into their father's ...

Tenant, was it? Somehow, Aleth was getting the impression that he was supposed to be feeling more welcomed than he did. Ash was sorely mistaken if he thought that a ...

(haha!) Aleth let the silence stretch on longer than was comfortable, not quite sure where to go from the awkward note that they'd left off on. This felt like another ...

So, the joke was poorly received. Aleth sobered, slightly annoyed that his humor wasn't appreciated, but bobbed his head. "I suppose so."

Aleth's smirk widened. "Perhaps you're the philosopher then."

Aleth smirked. Maybe Ash wasn’t so bad after all. “If only we had a philosopher to tell us what it all means.”

"Gruesome," Aleth commented coolly. He'd never been much for trophies, but he supposed that it was a fine tradition, if a bit eccentric. "Putting your present within someone else's history."

"Does she say whose skin it is?"

Aleth's eyes widened and he raised both eyebrows, intrigued. "It sounds like that book holds numerous stories."

"I'd like that," Aleth answered with a small smile. He'd like it even more if he hadn't denied literacy and could actually get away with mining some of the secrets. ...

"It sounds incredible." Aleth noted Ash's enthusiasm, filing it away. What a person chose to take pride in was usually telling.

"You enjoy reading, then?" Aleth asked, interest piqued.

(aha!) "Sounds tiring," Aleth noted with an awkward smile. He'd had enough moving about running from his father as a child. He liked staying put now. Settling down and dealing ...

It was a clever question. Aleth couldn't very well say that he wouldn't listen to what Sera told him -- and now he couldn't get away with wandering about, if ...

"Oh, trust me, that question was with the utmost suspicion," Jerica retorted. She didn't like to be outnumbered like this. "No pleasantry involved."