“Yes, I was just taking a moment to myself. There are a lot of people here.”
“That there are.” She reached inside and patted Trinket’s neck. “Nothing wrong with needing some alone time.”
They nodded. “I do like alone time.”
“Brycey too. Charlie was always the social butterfly, then there was Bryce, nose stuck in a book or lost in the pastures with the animals. He’s a friendly boy, don’t get me wrong,” she clarified, “but he was always… soft. A good thing, mind you, but a dangerous thing. The world don’t like softness, especially in boys. It does everything it can to snuff it out or harden it.”
“I adore his softness,” Zef admitted, and Nan smiled.
“That’s good. He deserves someone who appreciates him, for all that he is.”
Trinket pushed her soft nose into their hand, lips tickling their palm as she searched for treats they did not have. “I like all things about him. He is wholly wonderful.”
“He seems to feel the same about you,” she said, shoulder brushing theirs lightly. “Never seen him so twitterpated.”
Twitterpated? What a strange word.
“Is that a good thing?” they asked, and Nan cocked her head, pink curls bouncing.
“You tell me.”
Focusing back on Trinket, they rubbed her wide cheeks. “I care for him very much, if that is what you mean.”
“I know that, but what about when he comes home? I’d hate to see you both run headfirst into heartache because you have love-goggles on.”
Another use of strange vernacular, but they understood her sentiment. “I do not have a sufficient solution just yet, but I am not blind to the predicament.”
“That’s good. Bryce is smart as a whip, but he can be… naive.” Nan’s gaze, full of gray storm clouds so like Bryce’s, was sharp. “You don’t strike me as naive.”
“Do you not approve of our courtship?” they asked, genuinely hurt at the idea of it.
“I ain’t saying that. I’d just hate to see either of you get your heart broke, that’s all.”
A sliver of stubbornness straightened their spine. “Perhaps Bryce will stay in the Pentagram with me, and no hearts will be broken at all.”
“Maybe,” she conceded.
“Or perhaps…” they swallowed thickly, nerves cramping their stomach. “Perhaps I will come here. Or we can continue our relationship long-distance. There are options that do not end in heartbreak.”
“That’s true,” Nan agreed, propping her arms on the stall door. Her elbow grazed their lower arm, but they pulled away, frustrated that she wasputting words to the worries they were trying to suppress. “You think you’d want to live here?”
Did they? It would be a drastic change, and they did not handle change well. But it would be the same if Bryce were to stay in the Pentagram. Could they ask him to give up everything he had worked for to stay with them? Could they walk away from the life they had built for themself for him?
“I am willing to consider all options,” they finally said, and Nan nodded once more.
“That’s good.”
“Why do you not approve of me?” they demanded, hating the strain in their voice that gave away their hurt. “Why do you believe I am not a good match for Bryce?”
Nan’s brows rose, expressing in ways Zef had not learned to interpret yet. “Oh, honey, that’s not what I meant. I think you’re a great match for Bryce.”
“Then why are you warning me against our courtship? Why are you pointing out the obstacles and all the reasons we should not be together?”
“I’m sorry,” she said, reaching for them as if in comfort, but they stepped out of reach. They did not want physical comfort, not from her. “I wasn’t trying to stir the pot or upset you. I just want to make sure you’re both thinking about the realities.”
“The reality is that I like Bryce, and Bryce likes me. We make each other happy, and even if the logistics are difficult, it does not mean that the end is inevitable,” they said, wings buzzing in agitation.
“Zef, sweetheart,” Nan tried again, but they did not want to hear it. She was supposed to be their friend, yet she was sowing doubt and discouragement.
