Chapter Text
He sat stiff, arms a contrast were draped haphazardly over the chair’s arms, though one was set straight enough so that his fingers could drum against an arms edge. Having ordered the child to sit he waited and was if not promptly obeyed spare spite and attitude whilst being obeyed. Nails tapping against wood as the white clad boy situated himself at his elder’s feet, the child indulged a traditional repose.
Even’d not call the posture proper or comfortable. To rest upon both knees, head down, hands clasped, spoke of something prayerful to the most impious. It was only he child’s adherence to ceremony (head resolutely down) that allowed Even’s face to twist into a sneer. If his tone was a mite flat, well such was the result of upholding to so placid a façade while emotions riled the insides.
“I’ve spoken to Ienzo, I’d like your version now.”
The boy looked up at that, breaking off from protocol of a traditional bent. It was a riot of accidental color, the child’s hair, shifting from black and white, zebra style to the most awful combination of fucia and green with a vaguely glitter like sparkly about the spikes atop the boy’s head. The black was turning green… sea sick green… and the pink was sparkling. Mentally making a note to scold Ienzo about considering the color sensitive when he got to his shenanigans, Even tried not to stai at the bot’s head.
Not an easy fear when considering how as the boy before him nipped his lip a sky blue blush was overtaking the green and creeping about the pink like a blueberry stain.
“Why,” not bitterness here, nor resignation, the boy held no inflection even as he asked. “If Ienzo told you-“
“Each truth has a side, as truth is a fickle thing. Personal perspective. Thus I know his side,” Even drawled, stilling the ra-ta-ta-tap of his digits with effort. “His side is not your side. To pass proper judgment upon the scenario I must hear both.”
Silence reigned awhile. More than used to that one’s rule Even waited as the boy considered something with utmost seriousness.
“What’d he say?”
Really, whispered were Ienzo’s preference, when this boy, normally so loud and boisterous took a page from his younger sibs book it was quite disquieting.
Lifting an eyebrow Even met blue eyes, grateful that Ienzo’s spell work hadn’t altered those, and let the boy read what he could in the blond man’s expression.
“I’d rather not taint the data pool thank you.”
“Uhm… what?”
Ah yes, not a scientist, Even traded tracks with only a blink to tell that tale.
“What Ienzo said is between me and him, as what I say to you is between the two of us. Furthermore, were I to tell you what Ienzo said you’d just agree with what I say to avoid perceived conflict. You’d done that before and I don’t make the same error twice.”
To bluenette.. soon to be tealette’s wince was answer enough.
“Well?”
“So… Ienzo was acting all… quiet, weird. We’d been out; coming home and he’d been getting all quieter. I asked what was wrong.” With a huff the boy reacquainted old anger he’d once upon a time never acknowledge much less indulge, Ven pressed on, teeth gritted. “I.. I don’t like liars, He knows that. But I didn’t’ say anything until we got back. You... you weren’t home and he was still acting all off and he couldn’t say why and he lied.”
As if that sole sin held all the worlds’ woes. For Ven though, perhaps it had. A lie had certainly been the crux of his world, and the revelation of such had been its fall.
For that, some anger was expected.
The expression of the sentiment though, that was messy.
“Then?” Even prompted.
“We fought,” the rug must have been fascinating. Some secret squirreled away under it’s geometric designs, Or perhaps the child was contemplating threat count.
“Child.” To that rare, so rare indulgence of affection Ven looked up. If there were tears about the eyes at something so rarely given… well Even wasn’t one to tell that tale. “If you’d “fought” my… excuse me, our… house wouldn’t be standing, you’d both be bloodied and bruised, and the combination of light and dark manas would have drawn every foul creature for miles. Try again.”
“I… not physically... I yelled at him, alright!”
“No, hence why we are here now. And yelling at me will get you nothing save a reprimand. Try again, last attempt.”
Slumping as much as his outré pose would allow, the boy groaned. The bared head was a fetching silver. Shame it wasn’t to last. As Even waited the hair pinked, a metallic pink that defied nature and synthetic and really… where did Ienzo get these ideas? Between glint and glitter and the slow spread of what was and what was to be it looked as if the boy sported a head of blushing snow. Blinking, to both banish the thought and to check his visual feet for contaminants he sight returned to reveal the same metamorphosis and the odd thought remained.
Since fancy was beyond him Even’d blame Ienzo and let it go at that.
“You weren’t home, “ as if this were a valid point, some pardoning statement. “And he ... he just treated this girl so wrong, it was wrong, and he didn’t apologize then, and wouldn’t even say it was wrong even now and…
“And how did he treat this girl, whose plight was so dire you didn’t bother to recall her name? It must have been villainy at its peak to rile you up so.”
To that bit of wit the boy’s mouth opened and closed, no words came out. Setting his hands before him, fingers against fingers, the lot all angular and pointed, he set his chin on the nails. The bite was a warning that he need not be too biting, but he dared not be too lenient either. There must be a balance.
“So you decided to comment upon his misbehavior to him taking the role of an adult. While ambitions did you not think it a mite inappropriate to appropriate an adult’s prerogative? Regardless of that I must say your reprimand was quite vigorous. So much so that a neighbor called me at work to complain, at length.”
“I.. uh.. didn’t know… about that…”
“I didn’t bandy that information about. Though my coming hone two hours early was a bit of hap stance hm?”
Ven winced, did so quite well, and something like embarrassment flared brighter than the anger that’d been so poorly hidden before.
“Regardless of Ienzo’s actions, your actions caused a little old lady some massive upset. We’ve spoken, she and I, you’ll be weeding her garden in compensation come tomorrow morning.”
“Alright.” A squirm, the carpet was considered again, but not quite quick enough… checking the urge to swear Even bit his lip, the boy missed it, small mercies. “Can I go now?”
Had he not seen… well he had and there was no unseeing. There had been a glint of gold amongst the blue, and to that Even seriously weighed pros and cons and settled on a compromise.
“You’ve two hours to tell me the truth of it, that or you will write it down in a letter. Either must be completed before dinner, is that understood.”
“Yes sir.”
“Then consider yourself confined to your quarters for the duration. You may make one trip for a snack and water, but that is all. I’ll see you at Dinner at the latest then.”
“Yes sir.”
Better than “yes master”, the first he’d been addressed by the boy. That had been such an unpleasant shock that he’d lost hi whole train of thought for the afternoon, the whatever of that conversation simply gone, as subject, intent, and meaning had left Even. It’d taken two moons to weary the boy of that habit. Still, watching the child rise, Even had to admit it was a lean comfort. He’d take what he could, of course, but considering how much more there was left. It was progress, but it was a sliver. Blessing and curse, both that.
With this boy though, there could be little else save these extremes.
“Ventus.” The boy’s back to him, obviously so intent on getting away from here, from punishment, that he’d blocked Even out entirely. “We all make mistake. This is not the end of the world. Just remember this, please. You are a child, all expectations of the world to the contrary, let yourself be such.”
“Why?”
Was that bitterness? Did the eyes burn gold? He could not tell, did not try to differentiate.
Gold or blue, Ven or Van, the boy was one and the same. Ocular mutations were utterly irrelevant to who the boy was, still…
“Because you are. And what you are is as it should be.” Lips quirking into a grin, Even had to add. “And adulthood is highly overrated. The only certainty of such is death and taxes, both are rather drab affairs.”
Really, the boy oozed bafflement as he shrugged and went to his room. It was a fascinating and (if he were feeling a bit cruel) amusing phenomenon. It was worlds better than say foot stomping and door slamming that Ienzo had favored him at the end of their talk.
Heaving a sigh Even closed his green eyes and told the headache to go elsewhere, preferably now.
No luck there, but still, he’d tried. It was all he could do.