the zoo

[instar]

There is one visit during the day from a lady down the street who has made the girls a casserole, on the grounds that it can be hard to remember to eat when bereaved. Bella thanks her sincerely, sniffles a little, and sends her on her way. The casserole is shared around for lunch. Bella asks Ax what Andalites eat, and when she finds out, she locates a bag of grass clippings in the backyard that he pronounces acceptable. She also asks him how he eats them. By way of illustration, he steps both forehooves into the bag of clippings.

Night falls.

They can all go to the Seattle zoo and acquire everything they can get their hands on.

Comments

[aeskhyne]

Trouble sighs. "I'll talk to him if you want. I just don't promise he's gonna come out of it any happier than he would if you did that."

[instar]

"What would you say?"

[aeskhyne]

"I have no idea."

[instar]

Bella is silent, staring into space, for a long moment of thought.

[aeskhyne]

Trouble waits with infinite patience.

[instar]

"Do you think you'd make anything worse?"

[aeskhyne]

"Again, no idea. I wouldn't try to. Pissing him off is not a fun hobby."

[instar]

Bella opens her mouth, then closes it.

[aeskhyne]

"Something to say?"

[instar]

"I do not think that saying what I was about to say would get me anything I want to have."

[aeskhyne]

"Well, I'm curious."

[instar]

"I don't know how to fix this, but that doesn't mean I can't make it worse by saying everything that pops into my head."

[aeskhyne]

"And you're worried you'll, what... piss me off?"

[instar]

"Or something. I don't allow myself the luxury of hurting any feelings that happen to wander by on the grounds of whim."

[aeskhyne]

"Uh-huh. So what were you gonna say?"

[instar]

"You met a friendly, helpful, stranded, frightened alien who had just discovered that his brother was dead and placed himself under the protection of someone who's supposedly your friend, and then you upset him, and he politely told you that the thing you said upset him, and I have seen no indication that you give a fraction of a shit. You aren't curious what constitutes an insult to an Andalite so you can avoid any portion of the possible ways to ruin his day, you haven't apologized or given any noticeable thought to what apologizing would look like, I don't think you're even acting like this on the grounds that it offends you that Ax is racist against Yeerks. I don't think there is a way to be in the wrong in this situation that you haven't at least flirted with except that I believe that you didn't intentionally set out to hurt his feelings, which means precious little when you demonstrate no interest in the fact that they exist. And I'm still probably going to have to tell Ax to suck it up even though his worst crime here is not liking a species that has been fighting his people since before he was born, since he has done me the great courtesy of presenting leverage for me to apply and you haven't. And that's how I get to reward him, I guess, I get to tell him that on this particular team of humans sometimes people are going to trespass on his sacred values and that's his problem."

[aeskhyne]

Trouble snuggles into his blanket and doesn't say anything.

[instar]

"So I guess I'll go do that, then, shall I." Bella gets up.

[aeskhyne]

"...Can I talk to him first? I mean - instead, hopefully?"

[instar]

"And say what?"

[aeskhyne]

"I'm really not sure. But I don't want him to have to suck it up."

[instar]

"Are you going to apologize to him or something, then?"

[aeskhyne]

"Or something. I don't know."

[instar]

"Is there some other form of him not sucking it up of which I am unaware?"

[aeskhyne]

"I really don't know what I'm doing," he says. "I don't have plans, I'm not even sure I have goals, I have... vague hopes. But me and my vague hopes can get a pretty long way together sometimes."