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Caleb winced as he felt the blowback of Essek’s latest spell.
The battle was its typical whirlwind of chaos, and no one else saw the poof of purple smoke where their drow friend should have been standing.
“Essek?” Caleb called out, trying to push down the more intense feeling of panic than his normal, cowardly terror that appeared whenever they fought.
He tried very hard to ignore how he couldn’t even see the other wizard in the crumpled pile of the nice white coat Essek usually wore. After a moment, he just cursed and threw a well placed firebolt into the fray before rushing over to the white folds of fabric.
“Are you in there, friend? Did the Wild Magic do something?”
Stupid question.
Of course it did.
It was stupid to ask Essek to come here in the first place, to fight an enemy with an anti magic cone in the Wild Magic of Aeor. Caleb might have pointed that out, if they had any allies who weren’t wizards, or if he wasn’t so selfish. They’d put one of their greatest allies, one of their only allies, in horrible danger and now, now…
“You’re from the Empire,” a quiet voice said, a much smaller head poking through the layers of white fur. The Undercommon accent was a bit thicker than usual, and Essek’s carefully cropped, coiffed hair was now long and mussed up, brushing his shoulders in soft white waves.
There was also the fact that this Essek was only just about four feet tall, barely even that, and appeared to be maybe about eight or nine, or perhaps more like thirty if Caleb took into account elf maturity levels.
He also didn’t seem to have any memory of where they were or why they were here.
Caleb swallowed and crouched down. “Ja, I’m from the Empire. We’re in Eiselcross, and you cast a spell that went wrong.”
“I know lots of spells,” the boy said, shrinking into the white furs. He said it almost like a threat, though his voice shook just a bit. “You’d do well to be careful,” he said, a small, defiant extension of his chin that looked more like the familiar Shadowhand they all knew.
He couldn’t help but to smile just a bit, but he was cut off from responding by Beau yelling at him. “Incoming, Widogast! Look alive!”
Caleb looked up just in time to see the Aeorian Reverser charging towards him and Essek, somehow slipping through the ranks past a furious Yasha and Beau.
“Sheiße,” he hissed, quickly stepping in front of Essek and pulling out his cat’s cradle. Aim was important here, with dangerous enemies and precarious tunnels and heat seeking moss and apparently small children. Especially since they couldn’t heal around these things.
The creature was bombarded with all five blasts of fire, slowing in its stampede towards them until it crumpled into a singed pile. Caleb’s shoulders dropped and he looked back to Essek, rather hoping this surge of Wild Magic would be quicker than the other effects he’d seen, like the butterflies from Jester and Fjord.
Child Essek was still staring up at him, eyes wide. “You’re a wizard too.”
Caleb nodded, sending a quick firebolt down the hallway to aid his friends against the other reverser that was preventing them all from healing.
Essek said, “You protected me.”
“Ja,” he said, still watching the fight further down the tunnel, “we are friends.”
“I don’t have any friends,” Essek said softly, brows knit together as if he was trying very carefully to see if Caleb was lying. “Are we fighting those monsters?”
“The things trying to kill us? Ja,” Caleb chuckled, enjoying the dramatic eye roll of the child beside him perhaps a bit too much.
Essek stood up, his thick coat wrapped around him like a blanket, “And those people down there?”
“Those are more of your friends. You performed a spell that reverted your age and took away your memories of the past century or so.”
He could hear Essek taking a deep breath beside him before sending a small ray of frost down the tunnel. The creature slowed down, taking in a few extra blows as it tried and failed to slip past Yasha and Fjord. “Was I kicked out of the Dynasty?”
Caleb blinked, looking down at the small child who was looking far too dejected. “Nein. No, you are the Shadowhand to the Bright Queen.”
Essek looked up at him, wide eyed once more. “Really? How?”
“I assume you were very talented and very hardworking, and they saw and respected that. One of the youngest in the Dynasty, you told us,” Caleb said carefully. He didn’t know anything about Essek’s childhood, but judging from the ruthless man they’d first met, it hadn’t been a particularly kind one. Perhaps not necessarily cruel either, but sometimes that was enough. He’d seen what neglect could do to a child, and he definitely wanted to tread lightly here, though he’d hoped that perhaps some of what hardened Essek had come later in life as it had with himself.
Though for now, it seemed Caleb had managed to say the right thing to the young elf. A small, self satisfied smile grew on his face as he opened his wristpocket and pulled out his own spellbook. His belongings, at least, seemed to be unchanged, though they would have to get him some other kind of coat if he was going to move around.
Caleb was a bit distracted watching Essek reading his own spellbook. He looked positively enamored with his own magical prowess, completely distracted from the battle a moment before picking a spell to cast.
In retrospect, Caleb really should have been paying attention, but the look of horror on Essek’s face was enough to get him to turn, even before Beau shouted, “Stay on fucking task, Widogast, c’mon!”
None of that really stopped the claws rending through his chest like a knife through butter.
He stumbled back, staying on his feet and resolutely between the reverser and Essek, who had let out a strange yelp and a quick ray of frost when Caleb was attacked. It was quite dramatic, he had to admit, the snarling beast and the blood spraying across the pale floor.
Overall, not the best, so it was time to do what Caleb did best.
Attempt to impress talented casters with magic.
Maybe it was cheating that Essek was a child now, but maybe that would just mean Caleb would actually achieve his goal.
He did his best to stand though his knees were shaking. Still, he stayed between the creature and Essek and pulled out a black marble. The Gravity Sinkhole dragged the beast away from them, kicking and screeching, holding it above Jester, Beau, and Yasha a moment before throwing it back down at their feet. Yasha let out a cry and stabbed directly through its skull while Jester called out, “Thanks, Caleb!”
“You know graviturgy?” Essek asked softly.
Caleb collapsed to his knees and leaned against the wall. There was only one left and he would watch more carefully now. “Ja. I had a good teacher.”
Extracting a smaller cloak to wrap around his shivering form, Essek stepped a little closer. “You’re bleeding.”
“Ja,” Caleb mumbled, holding a hand over the sticky mess of his shirt. He didn’t taste any blood; he’d be fine.
But Essek was staring intently at him, “Are you going to die?”
Chuckling, albeit weakly, Caleb gestured vaguely over to the group taking care of the last reverser. “Nein. There are four of them over there with the ability to heal, at least a bit. I’ll be fine.”
Essek only nodded, but seemed to relax a bit. It would make sense that he hadn’t ever seen anyone die yet, at this age. Not like this anyways. It was a far cry from the man who crushed a scourger to a pulp for Caleb in the Dungeon of Penance.
“Are you hurt at all?” Caleb asked, relatively sure that Essek had been mostly unscathed, but who knew what this spell really was.
Moving back to his small pile of coats, Essek sent another ray of frost down the tunnel, slowing the reverser enough for Beau to get a few good hits in. “I’m okay. Are they dangerous?” he asked, staring down at the rest of the Mighty Nein finishing off the creature.
Caleb could guess Essek didn’t really mean the monsters. “Not to you. You’re one of us.”
“The Umavi said I’m not supposed to talk to humans.”
Caleb blinked, then started to dig through his pack. It’s not like he’d be much help searching the room in this state. “You call your mother Umavi?”
“Yes,” Essek frowned over at him. “That is her title.”
He nodded, “But she is also your mother.”
“I’m likely to be a consecuted soul, with my magic skills,” Essek explained. “She’s not really my mother.”
“Shouldn’t she act as one?” Caleb asked softly. “What if you are a new soul, and her son?”
Essek picked at the hem of his fancy white coat. “Doesn’t matter. She’s still the Umavi.”
“Well,” Caleb sighed, finally unearthing what he was searching for, “whatever the Umavi says, we’re all Heroes of the Dynasty. So you can trust us to keep you safe until we fix this spell.”
Taking the passed over symbol of the Bright Queen, Essek just stared at it, brows knitted together once again.
“OH. MY. GOSH.”
“Oh, just as a warning, she’s going to hug you,” Caleb said, looking up as the blur of blue and white came racing towards them.
Essek looked up in surprise, dropping the symbol of the Bright Queen, “What?”
Jester was there before Caleb could answer, scooping Essek up in a hug that had the Shadowhand making an extremely undignified, almost squealing sound. Caleb was quite grateful for his perfect memory. That was something he wouldn’t mind remembering forever, smiling at the absolutely adorable scene in front of him.
It almost dulled the pain of bleeding out through his abdomen to tolerable levels.
Almost.
Luckily, Caduceus just crouched beside him, a wave of soothing, mossy smelling magic washing over him. “There you go, Mr. Caleb. Better?”
Caleb took the first easy breath since he got hit, “Danke, Caduceus. You have any ideas about our little friend over there? As cute as that is.”
Clay turned back to Jester snuggling into a very, very confused little drow boy who was trying to politely squirm away. “Miss? Please, could you- Miss, please-”
“Jester?” Caduceus asked, putting a hand on her shoulder, “I think maybe we should see what’s going on first, yeah?”
“Right, right, sorry, Essek!” she said, putting him down with a sheepish grin.
The young boy straightened out his too large cloak as best he could, still shivering. “Do I know you?”
“I’m Jester,” she said, deflating a little bit. “We’re your friends.”
Once again, Essek said, “I don’t have any friends.”
Jester took his hand instead of hugging him this time, smoothing away some of the hair she’d mussed up. “I know, Essek. I didn’t have any friends when I was little either. That’s why we’re friends now.”
He frowned at her, clearly suspicious, but didn’t question her.
She asked, “What do you remember?”
Essek frowned in a less suspicious, more confused way. “I… I was coming home from my lessons,” he wrinkled his nose, “Verin got in my room again.”
Caduceus nodded and smiled, “Brothers. Always the biggest pests.”
A soft, held back laugh left Essek’s mouth, hidden in the folds of his cloak as he was caught off guard by Caduceus’s openness. “Indeed,” he said, after he’d composed himself.
Caleb couldn’t help being completely enamored at that point. As a child, Essek clearly hadn’t really been allowed to have the freedom Caleb’d experienced. There wasn’t really anything he could do about that, but he could treat this Essek well.
Beau seemed to have a similar idea, moving up from the back of the room and uncrossing her arms. The sight of the shivering drow had melted any remaining gruff exterior and she looked like she did around Thoreau Jr. “Well, it’s almost time to crash anyway. You got the tower in you, Caleb?” Her face was softer than usual as she bundled up Essek’s normal robes carefully, Yasha walking up to help carry them too.
“Ja,” he said, rather eager to have a moment to relax and clean the blood from his clothes in an actual bathroom. It would also be a lot safer, and easier to make sure Essek was comfortable this way. He was relatively sure that Essek hadn’t ever been a big camper, and they didn’t have anything that would make camping fun for a child that age either.
In different circumstances, Caleb might have liked to camp out. Teaching Essek how to start the perfect fire to make s’mores, and maybe a few spells by the firelight, sounded like a very enjoyable evening.
For now, he just got out Calianna’s wand, the stained glass, the hunk of granite, and the small cat statue from his component pouch and crouched near Essek. “Are you familiar with demiplanes?”
Essek snapped his fingers and summoned his spellbook from the wristpocket again. “Small ones, yes.”
Caleb couldn’t help the excitement in his eyes. “Well, get ready to see a really, really big one. Any special requests?” he asked, looking to the group.
“Oh, oh,” Jester started bouncing up and down, surprising Essek, who was still holding her hand, “can we have, like, the water slide into the hot tub again?”
“Yeah, and a diving board?” Beau said, face lighting up at the thought.
Caleb nodded, carefully designing the space in his head before he prepared the spell. “Anything else?”
“Some bugs? I’m starving,” Yasha said quietly.
Caleb filed away some other pool snacks away into his plans and nodded, turning to those who hadn’t yet spoken.
“Hmm,” Veth looked at Essek, just a few years older looking than Luc, “maybe some pool toys?” She moved a bit closer, whispering under her breath, “And a bar?”
“Can do,” he said, ruffling her hair. “Caduceus? Fjord?”
“Maybe some soup?” Caduceus asked, also looking at Essek. “Unless you have a different favorite food? Has that changed?”
The little boy blinked up at Caduceus, almost comical in their size difference. “You know my favorite food?”
“Told you we were friends!” Jester chirped.
Fjord didn’t have anything else to add, mostly just looking a little starry eyed with how cute Jester was playing with a kid. It was, admittedly, unfairly adorable.
“Anything to add, Herr Thelyss?” Caleb asked before standing up.
Essek shook his head politely. “No, thank you.”
“Well, if you change your mind, just let me know,” Caleb said with a shrug. “Now watch.”
Essek didn’t tear his eyes away from the careful incantation for the full minute that Caleb took to cast the tower, practically enraptured by the process and ignoring quite a few questions and invitations to play with Jester.
Despite focusing, he heard Beau mumble, “Well, at least that hasn’t changed.”
As the spell finished, Caleb held his breath, rather hoping nothing terrible happened to him. Butterflies filled the space and he let out a small sigh of relief. It looked more like a flourish than anything else, and when the door finally emerged, it actually elicited a small gasp from Essek.
Caleb couldn’t help but to grin at him, waving Essek forward, “After you.”
There was no hesitation as the door was opened and Essek nearly rushed in, practically tripping over his too long cloak as he entered the foyer.
“We can have a grand tour of the space later, but for now, I think snacks and warming up will be best,” Caleb said, beginning to float. “Just think ‘up.’”
“Or say it,” Fjord said, smiling. “Up!”
Essek stared wide eyed as the rest of the Nein began to rise up into the tower, his purple eyes reflecting all the colors of the stained glass. Under his breath he whispered, “Up.”
Caleb opened up the Great Hall doors, revealing the ridiculous, almost resort-like space he’d created for the Nein. Jester was ecstatic, beginning to explain how this was exactly what she hoped Doron was doing on Rumblecusp, then telling Essek the story of TravelerCon and Vokodo. Most of it was child appropriate, other than all the phallic imagery, so Caleb just took the time to double check his work.
The waterslide was back, along with a much larger hot tub and a full sized pool. He’d made the room a touch warmer than usual, smiling as his friends shed their layers and Essek was finally comfortable in just his now oversized tunic that reached halfway down his knees.
Jester was busy making sure that Essek had some fancy kind of drink from the little snack bar Caleb had added, instructing the spectral cat to fetch her increasingly ridiculous things to munch on by the poolside all while she told the story of Artagan almost getting exiled back to the Feywild. Caduceus snuck in and made sure that Essek knew he could have a real meal whenever he liked, just to ask the cats for his favorite kind of soup.
Caleb was mostly busy watching his friends enjoying the tower. Veth was halfway through some sort of fruity cocktail that had a big enough miniature umbrella that it kept poking her in the nose, and Beau was doing the same, though her umbrella was now tucked in one of Yasha’s braids.
Yasha and Fjord had found the small collection of bathing suits Caleb added in an effort to have a little modesty in the group for the night. Given that Essek blushed taking his socks off when they first met and convinced him to dip his toes in their hot tub in Xhorhas, Caleb figured it would be more comfortable for him if they covered up at least a little.
It was very, very unlikely that this little boy experienced any of the freedom Caleb had as a child, running and splashing in the small stream near Blumenthal with Astrid and Wulf during the summers, all naked as the day they were born. So he slipped into some swim shorts himself, and sank into the warm water.
After about an hour of convincing, Jester got Essek to dip his toes in the warm water.
After another hour, Essek finally relaxed a bit, laughing while Beau and Yasha, and Fjord and Jester teamed up to have a chicken fight, betting candy on who would win with Veth. He still yelped every time one of the girls managed to hurl the other off their partner’s shoulders, hiding from the splash, but he was loosening up, laughing more freely and occasionally kicking his feet in the water.
Caduceus spent almost a full ten minutes describing a complicated vegetable stew that Constance would make for the Clay family whenever anyone was feeling sick, and pulled Essek away to try a few restoration spells before they went to sleep. Nothing seemed to work, which unsettled Caleb a bit.
“He’ll be okay,” Veth said, appearing at Caleb's side and patting his hand. “Fjord’s hair grew back, and those butterflies only last a minute or so. I’m sure it’ll end soon.”
“Ja,” Caleb sighed, smiling down at his friend. “I know you’re right. This is just not the best place for it.”
She shrugged, “I think the tower’s as good a place as any for him to let his inner child out.”
Jester laughed at that, grabbing Caleb’s hand and dragging him off to help show a now yawning Essek to his room.
It wasn’t changed too much from the version Caleb had designed for the Essek he knew, and he hoped the drow’s tastes hadn’t changed too much over time. Much of it was in the modern Xhorhasian style he’d seen in Essek’s home, sleek and refined, with many bookshelves and things he’d found in arcane laboratories over the years. But there were elements from the rest of the Might Nein too. Cozy armchairs around a fireplace, a luxurious four poster bed in the Empire style, a doodled Captain Tusktooth on one of the walls, and fresh flowers accompanied the usual Xhorasian furniture and the ceiling enchanted to show the galaxies.
He was pleased to see the wide eyed look of the little drow boy as he took in everything, looking unsure if he was allowed to touch before Jester convinced him it was okay to jump on the bed. After that he gently ran his fingers along most of the things in the room, as if he was unsure they were real.
“Where did you learn this?” Essek asked, almost reverently.
Caleb shrugged, “I needed something to protect my friends. Almost all of it is my own design, with a little bit of arcane framework from a man named Mordenkainen.”
“You made all this for your friends?” Essek said, staring now at the wall of books.
Caleb nodded. “Of course.”
Jester said, “He’s really smart, like you’ll be someday!”
“He’s quite smart now,” Caleb said, smiling at the look of pride on the young boy’s face. “If you need anything, you’ll let us know, ja?” He asked, quite pleased at Essek’s reaction to his room.
Essek turned to look at all the books once more and nodded back at him. “I’ll talk to the cats? And they’ll bring me things?”
“Or come get us, if you need someone. Even if it’s small,” Caleb said, fairly sure that Essek was self-sufficient to a fault, even at this age. “There will be someone downstairs too, watching the door just in case.”
"Thank you, sir," he said softly, picking at the hem of his sleeve nervously. "You're very kind."
Jester was beaming as Caleb flushed. "Caleb is fine, Essek. We'll see you tomorrow, ja?"
Essek nodded once more, looking like he wanted to devour every book on the shelf, and Caleb and Jester slipped out of the bedroom that was really designed for his adult counterpart. He’d managed a few changes, though most of it remained the same. Caleb had taken away a few of the more adult books in favor of some children’s books, though he’d kept all the magical tomes on transmutation and dunamancy, and had supplied the space with more soft blankets. There was also a cat that was instructed to keep Essek company, and one instructed to watch and make sure the other wizard remained safe all evening.
Perhaps that was overcautious, but Caleb wasn’t taking any chances with the wild magic of Aeor.
He slept fitfully in his sparse room, waking with a start when Veth knocked at the door. “Lebby? It’s time for your watch.”
Blinking the sleep from his eyes, he hauled himself over to the door, “Danke, Veth. Did you hear from Essek?”
“Nope,” she said. “I think he’s sleeping. Or trancing, or meditating, or whatever it is he does. You’d know if something was wrong, right?”
Caleb nodded, looking at a spectral cat. “Ja, I would. Just making sure.”
“Don’t worry too much. He’ll probably wake up fine tomorrow morning,” she said, smiling far too knowingly at him. She’d gotten far too good at reading him over the time they’d spent together. Not that he was fantastic at hiding his concern for their fellow wizard even on a good day.
“I know,” he sighed and ruffled her hair. “Now, off to bed with you. Get some rest so we can be prepared for tomorrow.”
“I’m going, I’m going,” she said, scrunching up her nose and trying to fix her hair. “Good night, Caleb.”
“Gute Nacht, Veth,” he mumbled, picking up a pure white Frumpking to wrap around his shoulders before he floated to the base of the tower.
Caleb set up to take the third watch, opening some of the closet doors to reveal a crackling fireplace and a massive plush chair all in view of the front door. The chair was large enough for him to comfortably rest his long legs, and even curl up a bit. He was brought back to memories of curling up on his mother’s lap in the armchair before the hearth at home in Blumenthal, though he didn’t feel the need to visit the memory upstairs tonight. With Fritz bringing him a warm cup of tea, and a thick blanket over his lap, it was about as nice as it could get, without a new book to read.
He had the cats bring him a copy of Tusk Love, just for something to leaf through, and got through about half of the well worn book without any trouble.
Then he heard a strange sound.
It was unlike the cats who were spectral by nature, and it sent a shiver down his spine. Could something have gotten in the tower? Everyone else should be asleep, and the kind of creature that could enter a demiplane uninvited wasn’t something anyone had the stamina to deal with right now.
But when he looked up, he just saw Essek, still young and peeking out of his bedroom door.
He grabbed his copper wire and pointed up. “Can’t sleep? Would you like to join me?”
Essek startled then looked down the edge of the tower, giving a nervous wave before descending to the bottom floor. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to disturb you, sir.”
“Caleb is fine, really,” he said, patting the seat beside him. The chair could have fit Yasha or Caduceus, so there was plenty of room for a skinny wizard and a child to sit comfortably. “Come sit. Did you finish trancing?”
“Yes, sir– Caleb.” Essek floated up into the seat, and Caleb whistled for one of the bigger cats to bring another blanket.
Wrapped in the deep purple blanket, it almost looked like Essek had his mantle back. Or like he was playing his future self in a school play. He yawned, hiding the motion behind the soft blanket and curling into a small ball beside Caleb.
Caleb had to stop himself from ruffling Essek’s hair, just letting the young boy lean against him ever so slightly. “Do younger elves need more rest?” he asked. Essek still looked exhausted.
“Most do,” Essek admitted, “I’m alright though.”
Filled with visions of a younger version of himself, a boy still called Bren, staying up late at night and reading his books with a small flame curled in the palm of his hand while his parents slept, Caleb smiled. “Would you like me to read to you?”
“I can read myself,” Essek said, frowning at the implication that he couldn’t.
Caleb shook his head, “I’m very aware of that, but sometimes it’s nice to be read to, especially late at night by a fire.”
Stifling another small yawn, Essek eventually nodded.
Calling for another cat to bring some hot cocoa and a copy of Der Katzenprinz, Caleb settled deeper into the chair, pulling his legs up to lean the book against for them both to see. “Once upon a time in a little house on the edge of a great wide wood lived a young boy with his mother…”
Sipping at his cocoa, Essek’s face melted from one who had been taught not to enjoy childish things, into wonder, then further into something heavy lidded as exhaustion took him further. Caleb saved the now empty mug of cocoa from slipping and replaced it with a purring Frumpkin, but noticed near the end of the book that Essek had fallen fast asleep beside him.
And if he was honest with himself, he was about to put himself to sleep too. He pulled the blanket up further around Essek’s shoulders and wondered if it was worth it to wake him and take him back to his room. He looked comfortable enough here.
Fjord appeared soon after he’d had the thought, waving and pulling over a chair for himself.
Knowing someone else was already up and taking the last watch, there was no real reason to get up. So Caleb let his head fall to the side, letting sleep take him before he could think better of it.
~
“See you were too loud, Veth, and now they’re waking up!”
“It’s not my fault, Jester; you’re the one being creepy!”
“Drawing people isn’t creepy! I do this all the time and you’ve never said it was creepy!”
“Watching sleeping people is definitely creepy.”
“Veth, that’s literally what a watch is though! What else was I supposed to do with Fjord?”
Caleb held back a groan as he came around, cracking his neck. He’d definitely slept in worse places, but this felt particularly strange. Snug, and rather cozy, but only because he wasn’t alone. There was someone holding an arm around his waist, and one of his arms was wrapped around the figure too.
A very much non-adolescent Essek, still asleep and currently wincing at the bright light and hiding in Caleb’s neck.
“Welcome back, Herr Thelyss,” Caleb mumbled, rubbing the sleep away from his eyes with his free arm.
A low stream of curses in Undercommon escaped the man sitting next to him, who was suddenly hovering three inches above the chair and very carefully not touching Caleb anywhere.
Beau let out a low whistle while Caleb just tried to fully wake up. She said, “Didn’t know you even knew half those words, Essek.”
Using the blanket as a cloak still, Essek just mumbled, “Please excuse me.” And with that he floated up, not even bothering to say it out loud, just disappearing back into his chambers.
Caleb was worried that he’d made the drow uncomfortable, but there was little he could do about it when he had to get the cats to prepare breakfast. Later, Essek emerged back in his normal clothes and looking freshly bathed, slipping in quietly behind the chaos of the Mighty Nein at mealtime. He sank down in a chair next to Caleb, soothing some of Caleb’s worries. If he was really uncomfortable, there was a chair next to Fjord he easily could have taken.
The two wizards ate in silence that blended into the mayhem of their friends, but once they left the tower, Caleb could hardly stand the quiet. It was eating at him, to think that he had strained things between him and Essek, just when the man had been getting more relaxed around them all. He moved alongside Essek near the back of the group and said softly, “I hope I didn’t make you uncomfortable.”
“No, you were very kind,” Essek said, staring straight forward and flushing enough that Caleb could see the tops of his ears turn a deeper purple. Caleb supposed it made sense for him to be embarrassed after losing all sense of propriety. It’d been quite a long time since he was a child after all.
“You’ll have to let me read to you again sometime,” Caleb jested, trying to lighten the mood just a bit. “You missed the ending of the book, falling asleep.”
“Ah, yes,” Essek said, pulling a loose thread away from the cuff of his coat before pulling back a bit. “I suppose I should apologize for that. And everything else too. I know I was a pest when I was a child,” Essek said, still not meeting his eyes.
Caleb turned to him in surprise, “I thought you were fantastic.” At Essek’s look of equal shock, he went on, “You were bright and inquisitive and didn’t accept things blindly. Save a few extra meals in you, and likely a lot of extra coin in your pocket, you reminded me a lot of myself when I was that young.”
Essek swallowed and looked to the ground.
A small huff of breath escaped Caleb’s lips. It made sense really, that Essek wasn’t treated well as a child, but it still stung in a strange way, like when he thought about how Fjord and Beau had been abused. This didn’t seem to be abuse so much as neglect, but he still suddenly felt the same urge to crush Deirta Thelyss’s torso in a gravity sinkhole just like he sometimes imagined for Thoreau Lionett Sr.
Caleb made up his mind and reached out to take Essek’s hand. “You weren’t a pest, or a bother, or a nuisance. You didn’t even get into any trouble. Can you imagine how it would have been if Jester had reverted in age?”
Through their conjoined hands, Caleb could feel Essek shudder. When he looked over, Essek’s grimace at the thought quickly turned into a smile. “I suppose. Still, thank you for indulging me.”
Squeezing Essek’s hand gently, Caleb smiled before releasing his hand and turning back to the hallway ahead. “Anytime, my friend.”