Magnet for Trouble
By Rey

Chapter summary: Children learn from the example acted by adults, and now Kote realises that they and Ruusaan have many, many, many children to give a good example too, in order not to repeat the past-future.

46. Reconciliations, Part 2

"Give yourself a new beginning free of the past burden. The children deserve your full attention on them," is Jaster's overly poetic but sadly all-too-logical reason, when Kote gives them a lethal glare over the curly tops of the children's heads and hissingly demands for explanation. "Ba'tat Agen just wishes to talk, that's all. They're not within the farm, too, so it's easier to boot them off after that, if you wish it." Then, visibly and audibly reluctantly if sincerely, they add, "You could boot me off, too, and I wouldn't trouble you again."

Kote is so very tempted. To do both. And skip the intermediary steps.

But what their own child would do in a future that will hopefully never be, it is never far away from their mind.

And, now, a sick realisation is added to it: that they have never concealed why their remaining living parent has been absent from the life of their children.

Ruusaan has done the same, too, with their own lack of visiting, bothering, helping relatives.

Did Jan'ika learn from us – our example – about vengeance? And practise it?`

It is a horrible, horrible, horrible thought, which Kote suspects would have been true at some point within the apparent malleability of time.

Both Kote and Ruusaan have distanced themselves from their own close family members for a grudge, for what those relatives have done once in the past, and raised their children in isolation partly because of it.

`And, decades from now, my own flesh-and-blood-and-soul will sell their own flesh-and-blood-and-soul for vengeance. – A soulless monster is created, not born, and we have begun the process of creating one.`

Seen whichever way, the concept is nearly impossible to swallow, let alone to comprehend.

`And Jas may have realised it, without even knowing of the full situation, and tried to help.`

Kote is still furious with the other for dropping by unannounced, for not going away before they saw too much, for bringing A'bu here. But they cannot refute that, cannot waste this chance, cannot let the horrible, horrible, horrible past-future repeat.

`The armourer may have been doing the same to Ruu right now in the garden,` they suddenly realise, feeling even sicker for a moment, even as they reluctantly ask Jaster where A'bu is exactly. But they cannot do anything for their spouse at present. They can only clean their own mess before more come their way.

And if it takes finally talking to their remaining living parent after more than a decade….