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“What in the world were you thinking?!” shouts Alisaie, to which Laku only shrugs. His newlywed husband, towering behind him as always, offers no better answer.
Had they run off on their own when Krile’s solution to their present problem royally pissed Laku off? Yes. Had he failed to tell anyone about his trip to the Thirteenth using Ethos before, and repeated the trick behind their backs? Sure. In his defense, he didn’t mean to snatch Estinien, Alphinaud and Zafi with him. But Hydaelyn’s scraps forbid a guy’s thoughts wander.
“If it helps, I know where they are,” he offers offhandedly. Maybe Calyx’s visit and revelations would have been helpful to share, too, but he and Zenos were off to tie the knot soon after. Who would want to think of the damn squirrel at a time like that? Now is a much better moment, and thus he tells the story in its abridged form to the roomful of crossed arms and exasperated glares his way.
Y’shtola’s blind eyes in particular tear a hole right through him, though he brushes it off as he does the rest. She holds his stare for seconds too long before pinching the bridge of her nose. “Gods give me strength,” she sighs, though the supply of those has severely dwindled as of late. “It wouldn’t kill your independence to keep us informed. Last we had this talk, ‘twas ‘only’ your own soul in peril, but that is no longer the case.”
“Stin’s fault,” Laku deflects the blame, “for putting the critically acclaimed memoir Heavensward into my head.”
“Regardless of whose fault it is,” G’raha cuts in, frowning in thought, “that is quite the tale.”
“So this means I can go too, right?” Alisaie leans forward like she’s itching to get into Laku’s space and force his hand on the artifact. “Right?”
Laku blinks at the sudden swerve in tune, but digs up his inherited trinkets as compelled. He closes his eyes, visualizes the floating isle where he stranded the trio and mixes in Alisaie’s sharp impatience. If she really wants to spend an unspecified amount of time sleeping on frozen earth and defecating off the edge, she can be his guest. She should cope better than Zafi, at least. Gods, the fit she’d thrown about not only those issues, but being stuck with Estinien… it would be hilarious if Laku did not, in fact, feel slightly bad for her. Will he have to tell her mother about this? ‘Sorry I threw your daughter in the freezer; it might happen again?’ Svana will not forgive him after she’d already been spirited away once. At least Fordola will probably take it lighter? Hopefully—wait, he’s getting distracted. Back to the Scions, please. Alisaie, Alisaie, Alisaie. Hell, why not throw the rest in there too? Let’s see—
“No more, please no more!”
For fuck’s sake, at this rate these people will pull him into all directions until he rips apart at the seams.