Slim was quiet for a long moment. "I hope this doesn't offend you, but your father sounds like an ass."
Kiara's head snapped up, blinking behind her glasses. "What?"
"Of course, you know him better than I do, but from everything you've described, he, well, how can I put this?" He pressed his hands flat together, gesturing with them. "'Playing house' is a very interesting choice of phrase. Playing house doesn't just refer to the wife, but to the children as well. It's a game small ones play to understand family dynamics. But your father is an adult, and his family isn't some pretend-game. To refer to it like that, like a game he can stop playing when he wants is a bit distasteful."
"It, it was just a turn of phrase! He didn't mean it like that!"
"It's got me thinking. Have you ever wondered why it is that your crushes all tend to be older men? And not just older men, but men with authority it sounds like? Men who would probably be very capable of protecting you, if it came down to it."
"So? Every girl wants to feel protected by her boyfriend." Her face flushed.
"I just can't help but think of how significant it must have been, when you actually met two of these objects for your affection, you managed to convince them both to adopt you as their goddaughter."
"You're getting at something, spit it out!"
The stick bug hesitated before voicing his thoughts. "It's clear that you admire your dad greatly. But you don't see him very often, and he sounds a bit distant. Don't you think it's possible that deep down you realize your father isn't as good of a man as he could be? And that's why you end up seeking the attentions of older men who could pose as father figures?"
"Go to hell!" She shoved herself away from the table and stomped into the grass.
Kady had hidden behind a grass stalk, eating by himself and listening to Kiara and the circus clown's conversation. When Kiara shouted and stalked right past his hiding spot, he jumped a little. He gulped what was left of his lunch and scrambled to follow. She ranted under her breath as she trudged, half-formed curses and incoherent scenarios. He waited until they had gone deep into the grass before opening his mouth.
"Hey, uh—" She whirled, eyes flashing, and he recoiled a little before recovering himself. "Um. Are you alright?"
"Buzz off, Bug-breath!"
"I guess you are." He scratched at his shoulder. "Listen, uh. You really seem like you could use a break. You've been working too hard, and you only just got out of the hospital. I'm not asking you to hang out with me, but maybe you should take a walk around the island? Explore a little, take your mind off things."
She turned sideways from him, arms folded and still breathing heavily.
"Anyway, I'll leave you alone now." He started to walk away.
"That tree."
"Huh?"
She pointed at the tree that sheltered all of Ant Island. "Can you climb that tree?"
He glanced between it and her. "Uh, yeah, easily."
"I'm not a bug, so it's not easy for me. Take me up that tree."
It took another moment for him to process her request, then he smiled. "Sure."