Shady

Kaelan looked at him in surprise, blinking. But Ash was--? Then what was--? Isn't that--?

“Possible.” Aeron shrugged. “At least I’ll be able to see them coming if we’re out here, though. So less likely.”

Kaelan kept his gaze straight ahead, expression drawn and harsh but back rod straight and chin raised. He focused on taking deep breaths, trying to calm himself.

Aeron nodded in agreement, stretching as they finally got to a real path. "Whew. Thankfully."

Tasia followed eagerly. Ky had settled down in a random parlor. She'd lost her breakfast but buried it with snow so she was reasonably certain... hopeful... no one would notice. ...

He'd like to 'speak' with the bastard, too. Kaelan turned a sharp glare on him. "You--" Rifkin stood up off his own bunk, poking Kaelan's chest to draw his attention. ...

"It is," Aeron agreed with a nod. "...I hope you're able to get there some day."

"Where are they?" Tasia shouted to no one in particular.

"...Oh." Then why was he upset by the answer? Talia dipped her head. Kaelan was pacing angrily in front of his bunk, getting progressively more worked up with each moment ...

"Yes." He nodded, grateful he could say that with honesty. "I've made myself a man I'm proud to know."

Tasia sprinted for the stairs.

"I-I mean, we-we can be older," Talia said quickly, panicked that they'd said the wrong thing. "S-sorry, sir. We. I-I mean--e..ighteen?"

Aeron nodded slowly, not wanting to push it too much. They were still virtual strangers. "Good."

(haha seems like a fun outing) "Yay!" She jumped up eagerly, grinning and running for the door.

Talia hesitated, her gut reaction. She didn't like that question. It was always hard to gauge what the correct answer was. Most of the time when men asked it's because ...