Chapter 2: Chapter 2
"Sssso," Lina turns her full attention to Val. "You must be starving. I was just going to make breakfast. Let's see what we have here."
She marches off to the kitchen and beckons him to follow. I move ahead to find a place with the best view – I haven't been to Lina's kitchen yet.
And, oh, it's large indeed. Looks like she's turned half of the ground floor into the kitchen. Well, nothing to be surprised at, really... Anyway, here they come.
"...porridge still or do you think it's childish?" Lina is saying.
"As you say, Madam," he answers quietly. Lina shrugs.
"I guess, you need time to get used to me. I'll just put everything on the table and you eat whatever suits you."
Lina starts loading the table with foods: a bowl of cereal, milk, remnants of yesterday's pudding, yogurt, a pie, some cakes and cookies, and finally something yellow and rectangular that I can only guess was made of eggs. She then proceeds to put a sauce-pan on the stove to boil the milk for porridge.
Val stands there watching her, uninterested. From my observation point on the windowsill I can only see his head over a chair, but I know that he is standing perfectly still, just like during my talk with Lina earlier.
Lina comes over to him and eyes the nearest chair sceptically. She goes out of the kitchen and soon returns with a fat pillow.
"I didn't touch anything!" Val says quickly as soon as she enters. I am confused. She didn't accuse him of anything, did she? Or is it one of those odd behaviour patterns specific to children that I have no way of understanding?
Lina frowns, though.
"I didn't think you would," she says stressing it as if to make a point. Are they using some code language? Do they know I'm here? Now, now, Xellos, old nutter, stop being so pathetically paranoid.
Lina puts the pillow onto the chair, then very quickly lifts Val and sets him on top of it.
"Go ahead and eat," she orders rather sternly. I have little idea of how one should speak to children, but her manner seems kind of discouraging. I wonder if it would be too bold of me to mention it to her?..
Val obeys just like the good boy that he is. He actually starts with the unappetising egg-mass, which makes me wonder if that is some kind of rare delicacy. Lina's frown deepens. Oh, honestly, Lina-san, can't you let the child have a tasty morsel?
Looking as if she's got a toothache, Lina ladles some porridge into a small bowl, then adds some chopped fruit and puts the whole thing in front of Val who has just finished his egg-jelly.
He raises his head, eyes still trained on the empty saucer.
"Madam?"
"Eat this too," Lina says firmly.
"But the-" Val starts saying, but breaks off at Lina's glare. "Thank you, Madam."
Lina turns back to the stove to load her own bowl, and I am surprised to see the almost tearful look on her face. I feel rage building up in me. Is it so bloody hard for her to take care of one small child? He behaves better than most adults I know! I am definitely having a talk with her later. What kind of attitude is she exercising towards my Val? Hasn't he been through enough already!
They eat in silence. I relax a little bit seeing that at least she's making an effort to show some table manners, although it is no comparison to Val's immaculate movements. Dragons train their young well in that aspect, at least. She is, predictably, the first one to finish, so she has time to make some hot chocolate while he's still busy with this sticky whitish substance they call 'porridge'. I am quite ready to indulge into reminiscing over 'those amusing humans' when I notice that Lina is lacing Val's drink with something.
I check myself before I can kill her in outrage. Silently, I glide to the cupboard where she has put the bottle with whatever poison she's put into Val's cup. Luckily he hasn't even noticed the drink yet, so I still have a few seconds to find out the extent of her crime.
It turns out to be a mild calming potion. I think I have never been more confused in my life. What on earth does she need to feed this boy a calming potion for? He is perfectly calm! I move over to his side and sniff at the drink. No mistake there, it's the same potion. What the hell is going on here?
Once they are finished, Lina stretches and smiles broadly. Right, she usually gets into a better mood after eating her full.
"So, Val. I suggest we spend the day this way: first, I'll show you the free rooms in the house and you'll choose the one that'll be yours. Then we'll go to the market to get some clothes and other stuff for you. Then we'll have lunch, get you settled in and... well, an early night is in order, since you haven't really rested last night. Are you OK with this plan?"
Val looks confused for a second, but then blinks it off and nods. I weight my options and decide that visiting Filia's house at this point is really not the best idea, which is a pity because Valteria has surely left lots of things there that he would miss. And the sodding Dragoness will, most likely, dispose of everything soon. Ah, well. I guess I'll just have to buy him some new toys. And maybe even support Lina financially, since she doesn't seem to have a job right now, and I know all too well how stingy she can be. That is, of course, if she manages to overcome her displeasure at Val's presence in her life. I am not paying her for glaring and ordering him around!
Lina offers him a hand to hold onto, and leads him upstairs where there are several unoccupied rooms. I have no idea why she had to buy such a huge house if she is rarely at home at all, and I doubt her hospitality usually extends any longer than for a couple of nights.
I invisibly follow them and then hover over the staircase while they open one door after another. For some reason, Lina insists that they actually come into every single room and explore it thoroughly, although surely Val can make his choice from just a glance! They spend a whole hour doing so, and I'm getting extremely irritated. Finally they emerge from the last room and stop right in front of me (which, again, gives me an impression that my cover is blown). Lina motions Val to turn to her, and crouches down to look him in the face.
"So. Which one?"
Val gives her another confused look, but quickly drops his gaze and says, quietly, but distinctly,
"The first one to the left, please, Madam"
Lina actually wrinkles her nose. What the hell is wrong with the woman? Is it so hard to-
"Valteria, this shall be the last time you lie to me."
I actually jump. So does Val, and the look on his face is that of pure horror.
"Why don't you try again, then?" Lina asks, calmly for a change.
"Try what, Madam?" he whispers.
"Picking a room," she answers with a slight air of exasperation. Well, that's what you get for scaring him like that!
The boy looks down and gulps, guilt all over his face. But before I have any time to dwell on the reasons, he points in a completely different direction from what he said earlier.
"That one, Madam."
"I thought so," Lina nods, appearing satisfied. "Well, then let's pick some furniture for you. As I recall there's only a couple of cabinets in there."
Val looks at her cautiously as she stands up and heads for the room.
"May I have it then, Madam?"
"Sure," Lina beams. "If I ask your opinion, that means, I will do like you say. Better remember that, young man."
Valteria and I stay rooted to the place and gaping as Lina goes through the rooms once again, picking furniture.
"Okay, so here is a spare bed... A wardrobe... or not, there's a smaller wardrobe in the next one. Perhaps, a desk will do, can you read or write, Val?"
"Yes, Madam."
"Good, desk then, a chair and some bookshelves. Do you need anything else?"
"No, thank you, Madam."
"Then we're all set," she marks the chosen items with a piece of chalk, then grabs Val's hand and starts downstairs. I barely have time to move out of their way.
As soon as they go out of the gate, Lina begins to shout:
"Fraaaaank! Fraaaaaaaaaank!"
In a few seconds a tall guy pokes out of the door of the next house.
"Lina-san? How can I help you?"
"I'm having guests, so I need you to clean a room for me. The corner one on the second floor, the one with a huge window. And move the furniture from other rooms there, I marked those with chalk. Everything clear?"
"Sure, lady!" the guy beams a healthy white-toothed smile.
"Here you go!" Lina tosses a golden coin into the air, and it flies shining and spinning into Frank's hand. "Another one after."
"Always a pleasure, Lina-san!" Frank waves his broad hand and then heads for Lina's house, each stride twice as big as mine. Somehow, I feel robbed.
Meanwhile Lina is propelling Val in the direction of the market, but I can no longer follow them: I receive a call from Zellas-sama. Ah, well, if it were not for those calls, I'd be taking care of Val myself.
I come back in the evening of the next day. I land in Val's room first. He's on the bed, legs covered with the blanket. He's nodding over a book. As I make myself visible, though, he wakes up.
"Uhoh!.. Sir?"
"Hi, Val. How have you been?"
He considers me for a moment, as if calculating the possible consequences of his answer (which I'm pretty sure five-year-olds cannot do).
"I have been having a good time, Sir," he finally utters.
"Good," I smile and sit down on the edge of his bed. He tenses, but doesn't say anything. "You should call me by name, though," I say. Maybe he'll get used to me faster if we're on the first name basis, eh?
"Yes, Sir Xellos."
Well, nice try.
"Do you like Lina?" I ask for a change of subject.
"She is very kind to me, Sir Xellos."
"Isn't she... a little strict, what do you think?" even as I speak I see his eyes widening and I distinctly feel his horror.
"She's just right!" he says unexpectedly. "Please, sir!"
"Please what?" will there be a day when I can understand him?
He doesn't answer, instead he stares wide-eyed at the door, and then I can hear a knock.
"Yes!" he answers feebly. The door opens to admit said Lina.
"Xellos," she states. "Whadda hell are you doing here?"
"Why, visiting Val. What's wrong with that?"
"Get out this instant."
"I don't remember agreeing that I can't see him."
"You can see him, but right now we need to talk. So go to the sitting room."
I glance at Val who keeps his face uninterested, but I can tell that's only a façade. The Dragons train their young well indeed. I touch his hand lightly, and he freezes.
"I'll be right back," I say reassuringly before standing up.
"No, you will not," Lina says in a no-nonsense tone, and then, turning to Val, "And you are supposed to finish your milk, turn off the light and go to sleep. Is that clear?"
"Yes, Madam," he replies quickly, then frantically grabs a cup from the bedside cabinet and gulps it down as if his life depends on it. Yesterday's indignation is beginning to come over me again, but I agree that there is no reason to have a scene in front of Val, so I obediently descend into the sitting-room.
As soon as I am there, I throw myself on the sofa and begin my heated speech:
"Lina, what the hell do you think you are do-"
"Do you have any idea what they have done to him?" she interrupts in an equally infuriated voice.
"They were going to execute him..."
"Before! Before that!"
"Well, he's been living with Filia..." I say, slightly bewildered. What could have been wrong at that time? And how did she find out about it anyway?
"The child is completely bloody neglected!" she screams. Odd, I wouldn't say that Filia ignored or disregarded him. Or is there any other meaning to the word 'neglect'?
"I'm afraid I don't understand," I say finally.
She stares at me with mixed emotions, then sighs and sits down across from me.
"No, I don't think you do. Not your area of expertise, exactly. Well, I just mean that he wasn't cared for..."
At my blank stare, she waves her hands exasperatedly and continues.
"At first I thought he was just shy or scared. But in fact they simply convinced him that he hasn't deserved anything in life, and that he only lives at the mercy of others. Remember how he said that he'll grow up and kill them all?"
"Yeah."
"Well, he actually believes it. That he is some kind of future-criminal who is being punished in advance. He would, for instance, if given a choice, pick the worst thing. Like with food or when I suggested he choose his room. He's convinced that no matter what he chooses, the adults will still give him the worst thing, but will punish for the ambition."
"How do you know what the thinks?" I ask, although now, at last, I begin to understand the interactions I viewed yesterday.
"I've been there," she shrugs and it takes me a moment to grasp the implications. "Although it must have been better for me because I had some friends. Val, however, seems to have been forbidden to so much as talk to other children."
I rub my face with my hands. Perfect. My Val has been screwed up once again, and this time right under my nose. What is worse, my Lina had been screwed up too, and I had no idea. And now one is in the hands of the other. Which reminds me...
"So why are you treating him like that?"
"Lika what?"
"Ordering him, as if he is indeed a prisoner."
"Because this is the only way to get the message through to him. He doesn't believe me when I am nice."
I grit my teeth. Someone's going to pay for this.
"Your revenge will wait," Lina reads me again. I must be getting old, indeed.
"Wait for what?"
"Until we get him to spill who was actually at fault. You aren't thinking it was just Filia, right?"
"Why don't we ask him now?"
She rolls her eyes.
"Xellos, he doesn't trust us. Trust takes time. And we'll have to wait."
I don't quite understand her, but somehow now it seems she knows exactly what to do. Good. Let her, then.
"Is he still... will he recover from their treatment?"
"I don't see any reason not to, but we must be careful. And your behavior today wasn't a good example, you know," she glares at me.
"What did I do wrong?"
"Why, everything! Firstly, you didn't knock before coming in."
"I just appeared, I d-"
"Yes, you just appeared, just after I wasted half an hour hammering it into Val's head that his room is his private space and no one can enter it without his permission except in emergency."
"Oh," I wish I could blush. Maybe I wouldn't feel so stupid then. Damn it, who would have thought that taking care of children is so complicated! And I was actually going to take him in myself and raise him without any help. An ambitious idea, to say the least.
"Then," Lina continues, "I guess you asked him if he liked me."
"I did. He said you were very kind, which seemed odd to me."
"He had to say something like that. If he said that he didn't like me, you might have got angry at him being a spoilt picky little brat. If he said he did, you might've taken him away because he isn't supposed to enjoy himself. See? He had to evade answering you somehow."
I think I actually moaned. Well, what did I expect? This is what I do when talking to Zellas-sama, almost every day. He isn't your common little boy. Of course he was calculating consequences!
"Did you ask him anything else?"
"Yes, if you weren't too strict..."
"Shall I explain to you why that has been a mistake too?"
"No. I think I get it. One way he's complaining, the other I'd find someone else, worse."
"Exactly."
"Bloody hell."
"Exactly."
"What am I to do?"
"Do as I say."
"Well, say, then. I'm listening."
She starts listing rules for my behaviour around Val. Half of my mind is listening attentively and memorizing all the details. The other, though, is far away, trying to figure out why is it this particular boy who is always so unhappy. When he was born originally, his mother made it quite clear that she doesn't want me anywhere near her son. I agreed, after all, I'm no good with children. But seeing how he turned out eventually, I figured that, maybe, she wasn't that splendid herself. So this time around I decided to stick by him if only because it's unlikely I could make him any worse than what he became at Gaav's hands. And still, I failed him. If only I knew how to tell that he was suffering... Or should I have taken him in before he even hatched? Or would I have been good enough? After all, Filia seemed a good foster-mother. How was I supposed to know she'd neglect him? Oh, L-sama, what was the point of resurrecting him just to make him suffer more? Hasn't he already had enough!
"Xellos," Lina's soft voice breaks through my inner rant. "It's not your fault. And we'll fix him."
Suddenly I realise a horrible thing. I let it on to Lina that I actually care about the child. So much for my reasons for rescuing him being a secret... Well, under the circumstances, maybe it's not the worst thing to happen. At least she'll trust me with acting on Val's interests.
"Thank you. I'll do anything I can."
I look her in the eyes, and I think she perceives the unspoken, "for my son".