Work Text:
Riz huddled under his wrinkled bedsheets, shining his flashlight on the book he and his mother bought at the Elm Valley Mall. He'd been studying The Transdimensional Language of Lies right before his babysitter, Penny, sent him to bed. Even an hour later, his mind raced as each page of illuminating knowledge fed the spinning cogs in his young goblin mind. As long as he was quiet, Penny wouldn't know he was up past the bedtime his mother had chosen, not that he listened anyway.
Even in his bedroom, he could make out the sound of the front door opening and his mother's work bag thud onto the floor. Riz's ears twitched, catching his mom's tired voice mutter something to Penny. Frantically he stuffed his book and light under the bed pulling the covers up to his chin. He laid there with closed eyes feigning sleep for when his mom checked on him. The deadbolt rattled shut, signaling Penny's departure. Riz waited silently for Sklonda to tell him good night, but she still hadn't come in even after ten minutes. He slinked off the bed and hesitantly sat next to the bedroom door pressing a pointy green ear to the doorway's crack.
The old junky coffee maker groaned to life before the bitter liquid trickled into one of their chipped mugs Sklonda used. Riz quietly cracked open the door to see his mom slump onto the couch. Her shoulders drooped as she gazed into her empty hands with a withdrawn look in her eyes.
Riz hesitantly crept into the living room. "Mom?"
Sklonda's breath hitched, hearing her son approach her pale green hands flipped her crystal over before brushing her eyes." Kiddo, it's past your bedtime." Her stern expression contradicted the shaky tone of her voice.
"You didn't say good night," Riz responded softly. "Are you okay?"
"Can we talk about this tomorrow, Riz?" She urged, pressing her palms against her eyes.
Riz perched next to her on the couch, glancing up expectantly. "You had a bad day at work, didn't you? Was it Captain Regmus again? He's kind of rude. The last time I saw him, he called me a green nuisance."
"Kiddo..."
"Or were some of the cops being jerks again? They don't really like goblins that much-"
"Riz." She pleaded, trying to get the hyper boy's attention.
"I think they're just jealous since you're such a great detective, and one day you'll be the captain and be the best boss they've ever had."
"Riz!" She snapped through her clenched jaw.
He looked up at Sklonda.
She held her breath, running a calloused hand through her green hair. "Riz, sweetheart, something happened today, and I need you to listen to me." She held his hand tightly, looking into his eyes. "Your dad was on a ship today and," her breath caught in her throat, "the ship had...an accident. Your dad didn't make it." Tears welled in her eyes, slipping down her face. "Kiddo, I'm so sorry."
She stared at Riz, waiting for a response. His stare was blank, but his eyes moved rapidly as though they were searching for something. He opened his mouth for a moment and took a breath only to shut it again. "Who did it?"
"What?"
"Who sank the boat? Dad's a secret service guy, so it's obvious that someone set it up. Is your team looking at this as a suspicious disappearance? If you let me help, I can put together a case board and figure it out together. Maybe he's just taken because he knows top secret information. It-"
"There isn't a mystery here, Riz! Things just happen; accidents happen!" She cried out, letting go of his hand as she took a deep breath. She sat morosely next to him with shaky hands and a lump in her throat. Sklonda blinked away the tears suppressing her grief for her son. "I'm sorry, Riz."
"I don't want to go to school tomorrow." Riz watched Sklonda nod her head before leaning against her shoulder. She put an arm around his shoulder and kissed the top of his head before hugging him close. Riz pressed his knees close to his chest as his mom stroked his messy hair.
Her crystal pinged on the coffee table, snapping Riz back into reality. Slowly, he peeled himself out of his mother's arms, instantly missing the warmth and comfort it brought. "I'm going to bed." Riz wandered towards his room again, hesitating for a moment to turn around. His mom pursed her lips when he glanced at her and whispered in a faint murmur, "I love you, mom."
"I love you too, Riz...so much."
Riz closed his bedroom door and sat on the floor messing with the hem of his father's old shirt, this one had loose threads already, worn from Riz's picking at it. His hands trembled, a tidal wave of panic and pain overwhelming him; he couldn't swim. He floundered in his flood of thoughts watching tears quietly drip onto his hands in front of him. Tunnel vision clouding out everything except his ragged breathing. He didn't weep or cry out. He just sat there staring at the floor, feeling empty.