vision

[calescent]

Kiri's up early the next morning, restless with various low-level simmering concerns, and wanders out of her room.

Comments

[salt_of_the]

"His name's Mud, don't ask why, it's a long and stupid story. What the heck."

[free_flowing]

"I'm totally going to ask you why your dog's name is Mud," he says. "I go by Loel Lalindar now, but I'm pretty sure you know me as somebody else. Don't tell anybody, it's a secret, I ran away for a reason. As far as anybody who's not you, me, Kiri, or Aleko should know, I'm just a guy they found in Thiyec under a herd of lost rainclouds."

[salt_of_the]

"Yeah, I recognize you, of course I recognize you, come on. Is there anybody besides us and Kiri and Aleko here right now?"

[free_flowing]

"Sarelle and Ekador. They're all playing cards in a different part of the house. So why is your dog's name Mud?"

[salt_of_the]

"It's a long stupid story, my uncle breeds dogs, I wanted one, so did one of my cousins, we went and she asked our other cousin whether they named the dogs and - it is a long stupid story, stop me whenever."

[free_flowing]

"No, keep going!"

[salt_of_the]

"And the cousin who is the daughter of the uncle with the dog breeding thing decided it sounded cooler if the answer was yes, only there's dozens and dozens of dogs around, this breed is for herding and guarding so they breed lots of them. And only the ones they keep as adults actually have names so the other cousin called her on it, and she started coming up with more and more desperately obviously made-up names until they got to where I was settling on this particular puppy and then the puppy was named Mud. Following littermates named, I don't even remember them all, Milk and Pinetree and Bubble. And it stuck. So, Mud."

[free_flowing]

"That's adorable," giggles Loel.

[salt_of_the]

"It kinda is. Mud, say hi."

Mud trots up to Loel and sits, wagging his tail.

[free_flowing]

Loel sits down on the floor and hugs him. This seems like an appropriate way to greet such a cute fluffy dog.

[salt_of_the]

Mud licks him on the face messily, still wagging.

[free_flowing]

Awww. He giggles again. Fluffy hugs!

[salt_of_the]

"I can get you one if you want one. Sounds lonely being out here if you haven't even hired anybody, yeah?"

[free_flowing]

"Nah, I don't want a dog. But I'll cuddle yours while he's here. You are cute and fluffy," he informs Mud.

[salt_of_the]

Mud licks him again.

"Suit yourself. So Thiyec, huh?"

[free_flowing]

"Thiyec! I liked Thiyec. I miss Thiyec," he says. "I had a little house by a pond and most everybody in the village liked me and nobody gets upset if you walk around naked in public there, it was pretty much Paradise."

[salt_of_the]

Patience spends a discreet second (during which Mud continues to lick Loel) contemplating a mental image, then says, "So Kiri had to drag you back kicking and screaming, or you doing okay here too?"

[free_flowing]

"Kind of... yes and yes? And also no and no," he says. "It's complicated. I really didn't want to go back when she showed up and told me everything, but then I - did something to see if I could change my mind, because I knew it was important, and that helped enough that I came here. And I'm okay being here, I like having prime powers, I'm getting along with the people I buy food from and write letters to, I'm really excited about my moat - but I wish I didn't have to be. It's hard and it's a lot of responsibility and I have complicated feelings and it would all be much simpler if I'd never inherited the primacy in the first place."

[salt_of_the]

"I guess. Well, now I know why I had to come all the way out here to meet you instead of Chialto, I guess you don't want to personally fuel the rumor mill for the next quintile?"

[free_flowing]

"Yeah. I'm going with the 'subtle campaign of lies' approach."

[salt_of_the]

"You weren't really kidnapped by agents of a secret cult, were you."

[free_flowing]

"I really wasn't," he sighs, absently giving Mud scritches.

[salt_of_the]

"Do you not wanna tell me?"

[free_flowing]

"I don't know if I wanna tell you. I don't know if you wanna know," he says. "Most people who find out seem to regret it some way."

[salt_of_the]

"You're okay now though. Right?"

Mud leaves off licking Loel and goes back to Patience, where he nudges his head under her hand until she starts scratching his ears.