i bought some postcards

[truthwright]

Kas is sadder, after Inkeri's prophecy. And it gets worse as time goes on. The closer they get to Isabella's return, the more it hurts.

He tries to do the best he can for Helen regardless. Helen, in turn, hugs him a lot and doesn't fuss when he cries on her. They make a good team that way.

Comments

[subastra]

"Your dad is really upset lately," Shura observes to Helen.

[carillons]

"Yeah, I know," she says. "It's been bad this week."

Kalavar hops off her shoulder and perches on the ground as a huge black bird; Helen hardly has to reach down to pet her head.

[subastra]

"What are you?" Nicoa asks Kalavar.

"What's the matter with him?" Shura asks Helen.

[carillons]

"I'm a teratorn," says Kalavar.

"He's just sad," says Helen. "Sometimes he's just sad."

[subastra]

"You're big," says Nicoa.

"Not about anything?" says Shura. "Aren't there doctors for being sad not about anything?"

[carillons]

"I don't think he wants to see a doctor for his sad," says Helen.

"I am big," says Kalavar, preening her long black feathers.

[subastra]

"Why not?" asks Shura.

[carillons]

"Because he doesn't want a doctor to do anything about it," says Helen. "He's like that."

[subastra]

"Just peculiar," says Shura. "A lot of things about your dad come down to him just being peculiar, don't they."

[carillons]

"Yeah," says Helen. "They really do."

[subastra]

"It would bother me if my dad was very peculiar and I didn't know why. Do you know why or do you not care about knowing?"

[carillons]

"What do you mean, 'why'?"

[subastra]

"Why he's peculiar, instead of... not peculiar."

[carillons]

"I'm not sure there is a reason," says Helen. "I think maybe he just is."

[subastra]

"Yeah, that would bug me if it was mine," says Shura. "But my dad is very normal."

[carillons]

"Then everything should be fine as long as your dad and my spinach don't decide to switch places."

[subastra]

"That would be the peculiarest thing ever," declares Shura.

[carillons]

Helen giggles.

[subastra]

"I wonder if you're so good of magic because of your own peculiarity or if you just are. That's a thing people can just be."

[carillons]

"I think that's a just-is," Helen says consideringly. "Or maybe it's because I worked so hard when I was little so I could learn runes early and bake cakes in the wilderness. So it's indirectly because of being peculiar."

[subastra]

"Wilderness cake," giggles Shura.

[carillons]

"It's delicious because it's unexpected," Helen says cheerfully.

[subastra]

"How is it unexpected if you make it yourself?"

[carillons]

She laughs. "Not unexpected like surprising, unexpected like - unusual."

[subastra]

"So you don't do it a lot?"