Two Crows Watch from the Gallows Tree (part 3)

Ky cringed sympathetically. "I'm glad, too. You both seem to care for each other very deeply, despite it all."

"Going through hell often brings people closer together." He smiled ruefully. "Other times it pushes them apart." Cecily had never been part of their little group. It had always just been Gaius, Tomhas, and Sera, who was mostly the security. Cecily was left on the outside looking in, terrified of Michael but never drawing his wrath as much as her brothers did. She saw things, though, and that took a toll on her. Tomhas still wondered if she'd be the way she was today if he and Gaius had simply invited her in.

Ky nodded. That made sense. Things had never been the same between her and Talia, after they were both taken. They'd only met a time or two since then, but it was so tense. So awkward. When they used to be best friends.

Meanwhile, she doubted she'd ever get as close to anyone else as she was to Tadaaki. They'd been through hell together -- there was no erasing that. She hesitated as her mind flicked to Tadaaki. She'd also been conflicted about him lately. "... do you think Tadaaki's happy?"

"I hope so." Tomhas glanced at her. "Do you want to check up on him? That could be arranged. I do have surveillance nearby in case anything should try to happen."

Ky hesitated, then nodded. "I would like that, I think... we also went through a lot together."

"I'll get you there," he promised. "And you can write to him as well, if you like. I'll get you paper and pen." Could Tadaaki read? Tomhas couldn't recall, but he wasn't sure that he could.

Ky smiled but shook her head a bit.

"He can't read," she said simply. "I tried to teach him, but Aleth didn't like that." She shrugged. "Tadaaki didn't mind... I wonder if he'd want to learn now?" she mused.

"You can ask him when you see him." It still made Tomhas sick to think of what Aleth had put them through, the control he had exerted over every aspect of their lives. He hoped one day all that bastard would be was the occasional bad dream in the back of Ky's head, but he wasn't entirely sure that would be the case. Even being with Aleth only a year had obviously had a profound effect on the poor girl, and she carried scars that would be with her for the rest of her life.

Ky nodded with a smile.

"And I can meet his daughter," she said proudly. "He didn't know anything at all about her -- she was just a tiny little baby when he got snatched -- but he was so proud of her." She gave a small, contented sigh. "So proud. I'm glad he's back with her... and I hope she took to him." Ky realized her gaze had traveled to the kitten, and she forced herself to look up again. "I think she's about four, now. I imagine suddenly having a Papa was a bit of a shock to her."

It certainly was still a shock to Ky that she'd had a father granted to her once again.

(This is my last post for the night. See ya!)

"It must be a wonderful feeling to have a father," Tomhas said, smiling slightly. "I'm sure she'll delighted once she gets used to it."

(Night!)

"Yeah," Ky agreed. She looked at him with a small smile, contentment washing across her. It was a wonderful feeling. A feeling that he was directly providing for her, in this very moment. "Yeah, it is."

It struck her a moment later how he'd phrased it -- 'it must be' not 'it is' or 'it was' -- this poor man, her savior and her guardian, had never known what it felt like to have paternal affection. It made her feel sad for him.

Here she was -- having spent the first twelve years of her life with the most wonderful man who'd never lived; and now getting to spend the rest of her days with the second most wonderful man who'd ever lived. Having two perfect fathers. And Loquitur had never had even one.

It wasn't fair.

She resolved to be extra sure to let him know how good of a Papa he was, regularly. It wouldn't be the same as having a Papa for himself. But maybe, just maybe, it might bring a certain measure of paternal satisfaction in itself? To know that he was personally, unequivocally, the reason that the Loquitur line had become human again. Had become loved again.

"Well, that's about all I wanted to talk about." Tomhas rocked back slightly to rest against the chair. "What's the Illustrious Kylia doing after this? What are her evening plans?" His own plans consisted of writing letters and signing papers, then cuddling up to Anneke afterward with a hot cup of tea and maybe even a book. Tomhas was a man with simple pleasures.

Ky smiled. “I don’t know… I’ve been reading a delightful novel. You really do have the best library. It’s so nice.”

He chuckled. "You haven't seen anything yet. Gaius's library blows mine out of the water. But what are you reading? Who by?"

“Really?” she said in wonder, brightening. “Wow! Do you think I may see it some day?” She thought for a moment, realizing that didn’t answer his question. “And it’s just a fiction book. It’s called Blizzards of Peril by, uh, uh, I don’t quite know,” she admitted. “But it’s about a set of twins from the East who come up to the North based on a legend that there is a tomb filled with a secret scroll that will grant the person who looks at it anything they imagine… they just ran into two iron spiders.” She shudders a bit, thinking about it. “But I’m only half way through the book so they must have survived it. But I don’t know yet.”