and my ears will listen

[truthwright]

Time goes by. Shura's mother lets her cut a cloudpine branch, and she and Helen go flying together.

Helen celebrates her eighth birthday by baking all her favourite people a cake again. And then she goes away with Kas, to Iceland and Russia and back by way of Alaska.

When they fly in, Kas on Petaal's cloudpine and Helen on her own, Helen is wearing blue jeans and a pink T-shirt.

Comments

[carillons]

"That's really sad," says Kalavar. "Will you come where I can reach so I can snuggle you?"

She goes to the very edge of her comfort zone with Helen, and turns into a viscacha. They are one of the snuggliest things.

[subastra]

Nicoa hesitates, but flutters down for snuggles.

[carillons]

Kalavar snuggles him.

[subastra]

Nicoa is quiet.

So is Shura.

[carillons]

Helen hugs Shura, and Kalavar snuggles Nicoa.

And Helen says, "Do you want to talk to each other?"

[subastra]

"Not yet," says Nicoa.

Shura doesn't say anything.

[carillons]

Helen and Kalavar snuggle their respective snuggles some more.

[subastra]

Eventually, Shura says she wants to be alone.

And she goes off alone.

Nicoa stays.

[carillons]

Kalavar snuggles him some more.

There's not really much else she can do.

[subastra]

Yep.

Shura and Nicoa are next seen together - with him sitting in his place on her shoulder - a few days later. They don't seem to be talking to each other much, and they're still subdued, but not miserable or standoffish anymore.

[carillons]

Helen smiles tentatively at them.

"Are you okay?"

[subastra]

"We'll be fine," says Shura.

[carillons]

"Okay," says Helen.

"Want to go flying?"

[subastra]

"Sure."

[carillons]

They go flying.

[subastra]

When Inkeri is twelve, almost thirteen, she settles too. Her Veravia is a barred owl. She makes the separation on her first try, and Veravia is not nearly as resentful as Nicoa was, although he's away - whether on errands or because he wants the space isn't clear. Inkeri is always perfectly happy to see him when he comes back to her.

"You're next, I guess," Nicoa tells Kalavar when this happens.

[carillons]

"Guess so," says Kalavar. "Unless I just - don't."

She shifts to a condor again. She is condors a lot, especially for long flights, but the rest of the time too.

[subastra]

"If you don't settle I wonder if you have to separate anyway?" wonders Shura.

[carillons]

"I don't know," says Helen. "I don't think it's happened before."

[subastra]

"I wonder how come you're last. You'd think Inkeri, since she's younger than us."

[carillons]

"I dunno," says Helen. She sighs. "Maybe we really won't."

Kalavar says to Nicoa, "What does it feel like?"

[subastra]

"Like - glue setting," says Nicoa. "I was fewer and fewer things, and then I was this thing."

[carillons]

"Weird," says Kalavar. "I can't imagine."

[subastra]

"It might be different for different people."

[carillons]

"Yeah, maybe," says Helen.

"I wonder why Petaal never settled," muses Kalavar. "I mean, because she's peculiar, but - why?"