Day 297
Mid evening
"Are you our Pa now?"
I.. freeze in the act of tucking
Wilykin into bed, and the slight rustling of the sheets suggests that his sister has squirmed her way out from under the covers and is watching me as well. I can't see her expression in this light, though I'm sure they can both see mine perfectly well. Their low light vision is
far better than mine, when I'm not enhancing it with the ring anyway.
"Why do you ask?
"
"'kit and 'kat wanted to know." Something else occurs to him. "Is it really them?"
"Don't you recognise them?
"
He squirms uncomfortable. "I dunno. They went away…"
I nod.
"I suppose that must seem like a long time for you. And they're a bit bigger now.
" He looks at me for a moment, then nods.
"I can assure you that they are in fact your missing brother and sister. Your mother remembers what they look like extremely well.
"
"Did you-" Wilytab wriggles a little further out of bed. "-use your ring?"
"Yes, I used my ring. It's
definitely them.
"
Of course, I only did a DNA check. I haven't seen anything on this planet that could fake that, but given the vast range of levels of technical sophistication that exists here it wouldn't come as a
total surprise if something like that happened. Or magic, perhaps. But I think I'll keep my fears to myself.
"So
are you?"
While I fully intend to have a slightly more
nuanced version of this conversation with Khoah in a little while, I think the kittens can have the
simplified version.
"I could never replace your father. But in his absence, perhaps I can substitute for him.
"
"What does 'substute' mean?"
I nod and smile.
"You know how when I go away sometimes and people have questions for me, and your mother answers them?
"
"Uh-huh."
"When that happens, your mother is my
substitute. She's not
becoming me, but she's doing my job for a little while.
"
"So you're doing Pa's job?"
I lean forward, kiss his forehead and ruffle his hair with my right hand.
"Yes, I am.
"
"Okay." He wriggles around so that he's lying on his side. "'night, Substitute Pa."
"Goodnight Wilykin.
" I stand up.
"Goodnight Wilytab.
"
"'night."
I smile at her, then turn around and walk out of the room, carefully closing the door behind-.
"'Substitute Pa'."
Wilykit and Wilykat are looking at me in a way which suggests that they're extremely dubious about me. These two kittens have been through the wringer since leaving home, and Khoah has been delighted to have them back. I make eye contact with each of them, then move my right forefinger to my lips in a 'shush' gesture. Wilykit glances at the door behind me and grimaces slightly while Wilykat glares at me with his arms folded across his chest.
I lead the way down the corridor into a currently unused meeting room. This room has a battery powered electric light in the centre of the table, so I reach over and turn it on low as the older kittens file in behind me.
"Will the two of you be staying once-?
"
"What are you doing with Mama?"
I look up to see that Wilykit has joined in with her brother's mock scowling. Oh. No, that isn't supposed to be
mock scowling. That's.. adorable.
"Keeping the cats alive. Your mother's farm was far enough away from Thundera that the lizards didn't loot it. There was good farmland, but not enough people to work it. Plus, your mother had an excellent knowledge of farming. Starting the new settlement here just made sense.
"
"No. What are
you doing with her?" Her eyes momentarily widen. "Are you controlling her with your magic ring?"
"No.
" I shake my head.
"Yellow rings can't control people. And even if I
could, I don't have enough power to waste on something like that.
" They're both watching me intently.
"Khoah has been invaluable in making this place work. I'd be quite lost without her. Is… Something worrying you?
"
Wilykat starts. "You have
people tied to posts! With signs around their necks telling everyone what you
killed them for!"
I nod.
"And you don't think that Khoah would accept that.
"
"You killed a guy for
stealing food! We-."
He
stops talking, and his sister's eyes widen in horror. Ah.
"Children, there's a big difference between stealing food because you're starving in a place that has
plenty of food, and stealing food when you've been given as much to eat as everyone else in a place that has
barely enough for everyone to survive. Khoah wasn't comfortable with it.
" For stealing food, anyway. No problem with the death penalty for slavery and murder.
"However, she's lived on the frontier long enough to know that sometimes there isn't a lot of room for finesse in maintaining order. And generally, that's my responsibility.
"
Wilykat frowns thoughtfully while Wilykit looks away. Wilykat then looks up at me as his brow smoothes.
"Do you intend to stay? Or carry on travelling with Lion-O? I know that Khoah would like you to stay, and…
" Huh.
"I would as well. You're far too young to be out by yourselves.
"
Wilykit scowls petulantly. "We're
not by ourselves."
Wilykat nods, arms folded across his chest as he juts his chin out defiantly. "Yeah. Lion-O never would have got to the Book of Omens without
us."
Whatever that is.
I nod.
"Alright. Please know that you have a home here whenever you want to return.
" They look at me suspiciously, then give me a small nod.
"And you can explain why you're leaving to your mother.
"
A pair of winces.
"Now, I think you two should probably be getting to bed as well.
"
"Hey." Wilykat tries to glare again. "We're adventurers now-."
"I'll send your mother up to tell you a bed time story. How about that?
"
They look at each other for a moment, then turn around and file out.
That appears to be going…
Alright. They don't despise me, at least. I can't see the confrontation with Mumm-Ra lasting more than a few years, so I'll have plenty of time to build bridges with them later. I turn off the lamp and then head out of the room, turn left and down the stairs into the living area.
Khoah looks up from the.. books she brought from her old home. She was going through them with the kittens a little earlier and I didn't want to disturb them.
"How did the meeting go?"
"Lion-O may be salvageable.
" I cross the room and sit down on the sofa next to her.
"Cheetara was a bit useless, though. Apparently clerics here are
very different to where
I'm from.
"
"Why did you want a cleric?"
Oh, there's no point dancing around the subject any longer.
"Because I love you and want-
" She blinks several times in quick succession.
"-
to ask you to marry me, but I was concerned that you might still be in the formal mourning period for your late husband.
" I shrug.
"Are you? I'll quite understand if you
are, or if you're just not interested in me in that way-.
"
"Um. No. Wilytom's… Death left a.. hole in my life I.. didn't know if I would ever fill. But
you…
Everything you've done…"
I lean forwards carefully and
embrace her. She
hugs me back, the right side of her face rubbing against my cheek.
"I'm delighted to hear you say that.
"
