Odd comfort in a Mess

The vehicle shifted as another climbed in next to him. Not Kaloina. His little niece would be keeping her distance from him, now. Terrified at the sight of what he could really do.

”You didn’t need to scare her,” Sulathier remarked, breaking the quiet Vesyin had worked to create for himself. He cracked an eye open to look at the primly dressed secretary. Clean despite the travel. Polished and pretty, his black hair cut short so it touched the tops of his ears. He looked like the same strict, stuffy kid Vesyin had met in school – just grown up. Still frowning at him.

Vesyin closed his eye and let out a long sigh. “She was getting too attached.”

”There is nothing wrong with admiring your uncle,” Sulathier countered. Papers rustled. The sounds were familiar. An odd comfort in a mess of the military noise.

Vesyin didn’t look again but listened to the scratch of pen across paper. He knew what Sulathier’s letters looked like. Could picture the report he’d write up in his quick, accurate script. He’d tried to get Sulathier to do his homework when they were attending together. So many others bent to Vesyin without him trying. Sula had told him off.

At the time, it had felt dangerous to touch Sula’s mind. To force him to do anything. Like he was subconsciously aware that once he did, he wouldn’t let Sula go. So he bothered the sharp vnou until they were working along side one another. Sula never did any of his work but he sat next to Vesyin without fear. Just his annoyed frowns and disparaging remarks.

< You’ve never been scary, > Sula said, crashing his little reminiscing. The feel of his connection strung with that same sweet annoyance and sharp attention.

< There is an entire world that would disagree with you, > Vesyin remarked. Lazy and sluggish, confident. It had very little to do with an over estimation of his abilities and everything to do with him being able to kill an entire town in a night. He could feel how the other’s opinions of him had shifted. Awe. Terror. Relief he was on their side. Concern he could or would read their minds and find them lacking.

Sula scoffed quietly. A sound barely above a breath. < You are not all powerful. > The best part? Sula actually believe it. Knew Vesyin had his own weaknesses like everyone else. Had seen how he’d struggled through some of their classes and had off-handedly suggested that Vesyin wouldn’t be able to pass most of them unless he fucked with the teacher’s mind. Which had only made him determined not to.

The sentiment had Vesyin smiling to himself. A tired but amused expression while he relaxed in the back of the jeep. < You always know just what to say to cheer me up. >