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A knock interrupted Alphinaud’s studying. He could hear arguing somewhere in the house and had been trying to tune it out, but the knock broke him out of his thoughts. With a sigh, he got to his feet and opened the door. “What is it, Alisaie?”
“Can I come in?” she asked tiredly.
He stood aside and shut the door after her, while she climbed onto his bed to pull her knees to her chest. Right when the door shut, an even louder shout erupted and he sighed again. “They’re still at it?”
“Father and Grandfather are fighting again,” she answered miserably. “Father always has a thunderous look on his face nowadays.”
Alphinaud sat at his desk. “Let the grownups sort it out, Alisaie. Besides, Father can’t actually go against his head of house. If Grandfather wants to go to Eorzea, then Father can’t stop him.” But he was tired of the arguments too. He wondered why their father was so blind to helping Eorzea. Was Sharlayan not also part of this star? Was it not their duty to help?
“What happens when it’s our turn, and we want to help Grandfather in Eorzea?” Alisaie rocked back and forth.
“Well, once we graduate the Studium, we’ll be considered adults, and therefore, capable of making our own decisions.” It was a bit odd to think of the concept when they were still only about eleven, but he knew he and his sister could handle the workload of the great institution. They were highly motivated after all.
“I don’t want Father to hate us too.”
“He’s not. And he doesn’t hate Grandfather, what gave you that idea?”
Alisaie pointed furiously at the door. “Are you listening, Alphinaud? They argue like this all the time now! They’re long past civil discussions about Grandfather’s plans. Soon, they’re going to stop talking to each other altogether, and Grandfather is going to leave. Forever!” At this, she let out a sob and cried into her hands.
Are all girls this weird, or is it just my sister? No, it was definitely just Alisaie; one of the neighborhood girls was very pretty, and had a really nice laugh. So, they were just mostly strange, unlike Alisaie, who was all strange. Alphinaud slid off his chair to sit next to her on his bed. Still, even if she’s weird, she’s mine. They weren’t very affectionate in general, but he copied her and leaned against her while he had his arms around his legs. “Don’t cry, Dear Sister. It’ll be all right, you’ll see.”
Alphinaud did what he did best: monologue. “When we’re old enough, we’ll set sail for Eorzea too, and we’ll join Grandfather there. We’ll have learned so much at the Studium, knowledge that we can share with those who need it. Just think of the good we’ll do! And Grandfather will have made many allies and friends we can meet. I want to know what sort of people they’ll be, aside from those who also want to protect this star.”
She made a big sniff and wiped her nose. “You and your dreams, Brother Dearest.”
“Not just dreams, Alisaie!” he protested. “I’ll make them real! You’ll see!”
“Yeah, right,” she drawled, and grinned when he elbowed her. She elbowed him back. It then devolved into a friendly fight of pushing and shoving and somehow, they were both dragged off the bed. They landed with loud thuds and broke into laughter.
Maybe things weren’t the best between their father and grandfather, but it was safe inside Alphinaud’s room.