Two Crows Watch from the Gallows Tree (part 5)

(Thanks! This is actually amusing me to have it parallel like this, because in cannon Aerik and Zander have a bromance going on, and all my reviewers are like ship, ship, ship and I'm like they're both straight....... or are they? xD)

"She must have some quality that resonates with what he needs," Zander mused. "Even though I haven't the foggiest what that quality would be."

(Gotta torture the readers or you're not doing it right!)

Tomhas thought back to his and Anneke's relationship. They were a team. They listened to each other, and Anneke was so very patient when he had his moments. She held him and comforted him, and she was his best friend. Gaius and Sara seemed to have something similar, though quieter and more private. "I guess she's a support system for him. Someone to lean on."

"It's important to have," Zander agreed with a nod. "We can't stand every moment of the day. Sometimes we need to lean. Sometimes we need to sit down for a few minutes and have someone to sit with us."

Or a few hours. Tomhas simply nodded. "Where are you off to now? To see Ky?"

"Yeah." Zander nodded. "I'm sure she'll appreciate an update to the travel plans -- I'm assuming she already knows the timeline?"

"Yep. We'll be having her bags packed for her so she doesn't need to exert herself, and in three days' time she'll be on her way."

"Sounds good," Zander said with another nod. Perks to having servants, he supposed. "Where are you off to now? Also going to check in on Ky?"

"I figured I would, but if you want to speak to her in private I can go elsewhere."

"Nah," Zander said with a grin. "Let's both go see her."

He'd be able to tell if she was holding something back because of Tomhas -- and he could always circle back to it later, if that was the case.

Tomhas dipped his head, relieved. "You got it." His smile faded; he felt he ought to tell Zander what had happened, what Ky had tried to do, but he didn't feel it was his place.

Zander watched him out of the corner of his eye as they walked. His energy had changed in an instant. What could Zander have possibly done to trigger that? He was the one who had the idea to go see Ky; it wasn't as though Zander had asked him to tag along. "What is it?"

"Hm?" Tomhas blinked. "Nothing, nothing." He flashed a quick grin. "Sorry; just a moment of melancholia. You know how it is. Lots of change all at once, some good and some bad. Messes with the mind. Pretty common."

Zander didn’t fully believe him. But it wasn’t his place to push. “Happens to the best of us.”

Tomhas nodded swiftly. "Doesn't it just." He hoped Ky would talk to Zander about it, at least. It was important that she not bottle it up inside; that always made things worse in his experience.

(meanwhile, Ky: "Zander does not need to know I have the capacity to know what 'sad' means" lol)

Did Tomhas know something about Ky that he didn't? Maybe he was overthinking it. Maybe this was as innocent as it seemed. Maybe he should just take it at face value. And yet, there seemed some sort of secret Tomhas was carrying that he'd let show, however briefly. And maybe it was paranoia. But if it had to do with Ky, then he wanted to know. She'd been being entirely too stoic for him to fully believe her.

It hurts a 'little' she says, after having taken a blade that sank halfway through her arm. She was downplaying it. And for her own sake or for his was anyone's guess. But if she'd told Tomhas something...

"Is it something to do with Ky?" he asked quietly at last.

The worst he could get was a no. Well, he supposed he could accidentally offend Tomhas and Tomhas's 'no' had the potential to end far worse for him than the average man's. But still. He didn't seem like he was likely to overreact just from a simple question.