Two Crows Watch from the Gallows Tree (part 8)

“Can’t wait,” Zander laughed. “I’m sure it’s quite the show.”

Ky considered that for a moment, also allowing herself a small smile. Tomhas was probably funny. And it’d be less scary to be chattery around him than Gaius. Could be fun. Though still bad. Always bad.

"He lacks any sort of filter when he's on coffee," Sara warned them. "I don't take responsibility for anything he says, alright?"

“Sounds familiar.” Zander looked at Ky.

She blushed, smiling sheepishly.

(I'm reading the best webcomic ever right now and my emotions are everywhere
Actually I'm reading two of the best webcomics ever)

"Like father like daughter, eh?" Sara asked, then reddened. "Is that okay to say?"

(Oh? What is it?)

Ky blushed too, nodding before she even really considered the question. Of course whatever Sara wanted to say was okay, regardless of what it was.

She thought about it a moment longer, though, highly conflicted. Papa didn’t get affected by coffee. Was it alright to claim a like father like daughter with Tomhas that didn’t also apply to Papa? Was she betraying him by latching on to Tomhas?

Zander had assured her that she wasn’t. That her papa more than anyone understood how vital it was for her to have a papa to protect her, even if he didn’t have her dna.

And, well, she wanted to be loyal to Tomhas. If she didn’t, she wouldn’t have accepted the adoption proposal.

He was her father, even if he wasn’t her papa.

She puffed up a bit at the thought and nodded more decisively.

Zander watched the confliction turn to pride, and smiled gently. He was so glad she was happy.

(The first one is a queer webcomic about a roboticist who dies and comes back 16 years later as an android. It's amazing and I've only been reading it for an hour or so: https://ohumanstar.com/comic/chapter-1-title-page/
The second is a literary masterpiece complete with some of the most stunning artwork I've ever seen. I've been reading it for a year or so now and it's one of my very favorite things to read, ever. It's hard to explain but it's about a little girl who wants to be a hero. https://jolleycomics.com/TPoH/The%20Hook/
I highly recommend both!)

"Sorry." She smiled, relieved but still a bit embarrassed. "I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable. It's a new situation..."

(Ooh awesome! I’ll check them out — thanks for sharing!)

“It’s okay.” Ky smiled, but she, too, was still blushing a bit. “It’s new for all of us… a little complicated having two fathers. But we’ll figure it out.”

(My pleasure!)

"All part of the process," Emery said with a nod. "You can take your time, though; there's no rush."

Ky nodded. “I mean… yeah… I’m sure it’s going to slow things down now they I’m…” trapped here. “Not there anymore.”

"Yeah..." He glanced away awkwardly. "That sucks. But you can write to him, right?"

“Oh!” She reached in her pocket to feel for the letters, but didn’t pull them out. She looked at Sara. “I have a dumb question. Do nobles do anything special with their seals? Or just like melt the wax and press it down with the seal?”

"Well, we use wax that's dyed the color of our banners." She glanced at Ky's pocket. "If you need some, I can get you Ash wax from my desk."

“I have Loquitur wax,” Ky said proudly, pulling both it and the seal out of her pocket. Then she hesitated and shrank a bit. “But I’ve only sealed a couple of letters ever, and only ones that weren’t important. And this is very important.”

First ever letter as a Loquitur. This was huge.

"Okay, well it's simple enough if you'd like me to show you! We'll need a candle and a wax holder."

“Yes please.” Ky smiled, then realized she was being pushy. “I mean, it doesn’t have to be now. Whenever is good for you. No rush.”