Varian didn't have a normal family. It wasn't a normal structure, with the mom and the dad. He had his dad, but he also had his aunt and uncle who were there for him as much as any parent could be. And it wasn't just the dynamic that was weird, it was also the people in his family.

Adira was confusing and silly. She wasn't afraid of people, but she didn't really get along with them. A lot of times what she said really bothered people around her, and Varian didn't know whether she said mean things on purpose, because she thought that upsetting people was a game and a challenge, or if she just didn't know how to talk to people. Even after knowing her for a few years Varian didn't know which was actually the case.

Hector was one of the bravest people he knew, but he acted weird whenever he was around other people in the town. He didn't seem scared, exactly, but he was always tense around people. It was when other people were around that Varian saw his uncle act like the warrior that he claimed the three of them were. Everybody in Old Corona was really nice and treated everybody like family. Varian didn't understand why Hector acted like they were enemies, as though he expected them to attack the second he let his guard down.

When Hector and Adira had first started living with them, Varian's dad had told him that they would relax with time. They'd been living in Old Corona for five years, and nothing changed at all. Adira still frustrated people. Hector still didn't trust anybody outside of their family. And Quirin was still a little cold and distant, as though he was scared to let himself get close to his own family.

The only thing that had changed was that Varian was old enough to start to notice these things.

He was only ten years old, but he considered himself a scientist at heart. If there was a problem, he tried to find a way to fix it. Before he could fix anything, he needed to know what the problem was first. So Varian started with observations.

He didn't think there was anything he could do to get through to his dad. Quirin had been distant ever since Varian's mom had left. That wasn't something Varian could fix. He'd tried. Varian did what he could to help his dad in the garden, or to do stuff around the house so his dad would have more time to relax, but he still seemed so tense and quick to anger.

Quirin's anger didn't burn hot the way that Varian's did. Quirin's anger showed itself through sadness, disappointment, and a tendency to throw himself into cleaning up a mess that someone else had made.

Varian just wished that he wasn't responsible for so many of the messes that his dad felt the need to clean up. He tried to do better, but the harder Varian tried the more he messed up.

While there wasn't a lot that Varian could do for his dad, he tried to figure out how to help Adira and Hector, and he felt like he was at least a little more successful.

When Varian had seen that people didn't like talking to Adira, he went out of his way to talk to her. He didn't always understand everything she said, but he tried to listen. Varian knew how much he hated when he felt like nobody listened to him, and he didn't want his aunt to feel like that. So he listened to Adira.

Trying to fix Hector's issues were both easier and harder. It was so clear what Hector needed. He was lonely, but didn't like being around people, which meant that he needed his family. But Hector seemed to fight a lot with Adira and Quirin. They weren't terrible fights, but they still weren't nice. It left Varian with the job of actually connecting with his uncle.

He loved spending time with Hector, though it was hard to find things to do. Varian had tried hunting with him, but they had quickly found out about the way he fainted at the sight of blood, and that didn't make hunting an easy activity. There were a few weeks when Varian had joined Hector in his morning exercises and training, but his dad had put a stop to it as soon as he'd found out about it.

For a time the two of them had been able to connect through Varian's alchemy. He had started doing little experiments, inspired by his mom's old journals. Hector didn't understand alchemy, but he was more than willing to be his lab assistant. It had been fun to work with Hector, but Varian had let himself get too ambitious.

He'd done an experiment that he wasn't ready for. There was an explosion. The damage wasn't too bad, and nobody had gotten hurt, but Quirin had not been happy. Varian got in trouble and he was banned from working on alchemy for two months. He was sent to bed early.

Varian had done what he was told. He had thought that he was the only one in trouble, because he was the one who had messed up. He would have gone on believing that if he hadn't gotten thirsty in the middle of the night. Varian had snuck downstairs to get some water and he saw his dad was mad at Hector.

Quirin thought that Hector was responsible for the explosion. That he had encouraged Varian to do dangerous stuff. Quirin seemed to think that Hector had sought out the destruction. That he wanted it.

Hector had left the house after that, muttering something about hunting on his way out. Varian didn't sleep that night. He sat on his bed and looked out the window, looking towards the forest. Every time he started to doze off he remembered that his uncle wasn't home, and how could he sleep soundly when someone he loved could be in danger?

Varian shook his head, paced a little bit, and went back to his watch.

Hector did eventually come back, but only after Quirin had gone into the village to do some work. Varian was tired, but he had run downstairs and hugged his uncle before he could vanish again. Hector had laughed and ruffled his hair, looking completely fine, but Varian knew otherwise. If he was fine, he wouldn't have stayed away for so long.

Varian tried to come up with other ways to help his uncle, but it was hard. It seemed like the only thing they had in common was that they were both disappointments to Quirin, but Varian didn't want to talk about that, and he doubted Hector did either.

Varian tried a few different ideas with Hector. Sometimes he helped to prepare the animal hide, but the second that Varian learned what animal the fur was from he felt a little ill. He had boot covers made with the rabbit fur from years ago, and he wore them with his shoes every day. When his shoes got too big for the fur covers, Hector would add to them and make them bigger. He said that as long as Varian wanted to wear the boots they'd be available to him.

But wearing the boots was one thing. They were a gesture of his uncle's love. Working with other animal hides just made him feel bad for the poor animals. He knew that Hector was doing what was necessary, but it didn't make him any less sad.

Varian's next plan was to be with Hector when he sold his hunting goods in the capital. Usually the people of Old Corona liked to trade with each other and neighboring villages, but because everybody out here were hunters and farmers, they could usually get what they needed for themselves. Once a month their family would go to the capital to buy, sell, and trade.

When Varian was younger he would wander around the streets of the capital by himself while his dad took care of their errands. Varian had wanted to help, but it always felt like his dad would spend forever at every shop and stall, and they never seemed to have time to go to the candy shop, the library, or the apothecary. Varian tried to behave himself, but he got bored and cranky about not being able to do what he wanted, and his dad got tired of dividing his focus between his son and his errands, so he just gave Varian a few coins and let him wander the streets on his own, just as long as he stayed on the island.

When the others started living with them Hector had been in charge of watching Varian while Adira ran errands and Quirin sold their goods. Varian had been so excited to have somebody to show all of his favorite books to, and to share his favorite treats with. Everything worked great at first, but Hector started to get anxious in the large crowds. One day Varian accidentally stumbled into an apple cart, knocking some fruit over. When he picked the apples up and put them back in the cart, the vendor accused him of stealing. Confused and frightened, Varian had hidden behind his uncle, and Hector took his job as protector very seriously.

He'd started a fight with the vendor, threatening him. He'd even brought out his blades when the vendor wouldn't back down. The fight only stopped before it could really start because Quirin had shown up out of nowhere, picked Varian up, paid the vendor for the trouble, and dragged Hector away.

Hector hadn't gotten in trouble, but he wasn't allowed to shop in the capital after that, and he needed to keep his blade brace at home, though he got to keep the dagger he kept in his boot. The next time they went to the capital, Hector had been in charge of selling their meat, fur, and homemade jam. Quirin took care of their errands, and Adira seemed to be with whoever needed her most at that moment.

As Varian got older and grew more desperate to see his uncle happy, he started to help Hector in the stall. It gave him one-on-one time with Hector, but it wasn't as meaningful as he hoped. Varian spent the whole time playing the role of a mediator between his uncle and their customers.

Hector was even worse at talking to people than Adira. While she said things that irritated people, he got defensive or upset about almost anything that a stranger might say. He considered everything to be a slight against him, or even a threat. And he had no patience for silly or rude questions that someone asked. If someone thought his furs were dirty and the jam should be stored in prettier jars, he would just roll his eyes, scoff, and tell them to shop somewhere else if they didn't like what he had to offer.

Varian soon became the one who did all the talking at their stall. If someone had a question about what kind of animal the fur was, even though it was clearly labeled, Varian would put a hand on Hector's arm to calm him, and he would answer the question. Varian wasn't always the best at negotiating, because he had seen how much effort his family put into these goods, and he believed they were worth way more than the Coronans at the capital seemed to think. He'd chased off a fair few customers himself, but they made do.

Varian appreciated any chance he had to get to know Hector better, but while he was at Hector's side when they ran the stall, they didn't really have the chance to chat. Varian worked, Hector sat back and whittled some wood, and they would both tell Quirin that the day went well even though neither of them really felt that way. They sold their things, sure, but Hector was overwhelmed by the crowds, and Varian felt like a failure for being unable to help his uncle.

A few months after Varian turned ten his family went to the capital on a stormy day. Quirin had put it off as long as they could, because he wanted to wait for the storm to pass. However, they had an excess of vegetables from the garden that they couldn't sell in Old Corona, and they couldn't wait much longer to get rid of them or they'd start to go bad. It didn't seem like the storm was going away any time soon, so they braved the weather.

Varian sighed and rested his head in his arms as he leaned against the stall. Today was a failure. The people in the capital weren't as thick skinned as those in the outer towns. In Old Corona, if there was work that had to be done, it had to be done. People only stayed in because of the weather if it got dangerous, and even then some of the more stubborn citizens would still do their work. The people in the capital had access to whatever they needed whenever they wanted it, and they didn't have to go as far to get it.

Everybody in the capital had what they needed to wait out a storm. Varian hadn't so much as seen anybody all morning, and he was going to be stuck out here all day. Varian wondered if they would end up spending the night in the inn. On the one hand based on how this day was going they wouldn't have the money to spare. On the other hand, Quirin would want them to stay as long as possible, but the roads back home could be dangerous after dark, and especially in the rain. Varian could see it going either way.

Varian yelped when he felt a pressure against his shoulders. He turned to see Hector had draped his cloak around him. The cloak was heavy, but now that the fur was wet Varian thought it might be even heavier than he was.

"Don't make such a pathetic face, kid. You already look like a drowned rat." Hector said.

"No I don't." Varian pouted. He looked at his uncle. Hector had always been rather skinny, but his big cloak had hidden it. It was easy for Varian to forget how small his uncle was. Without his cloak to make him look bigger, and with his long hair sticking to his face, he actually looked pretty pathetic himself.

"You look worse than me." Varian muttered. Hector laughed and put a hand on Varian's head, pushing down affectionately.

"Kid, this is nothing." Hector said. "You should have seen me when the Great Tree flooded. I swear it was raining for weeks, and I couldn't leave the upper branches without trudging through water. Of course, I still had a job to do, so I still patrolled. I don't think I was ever fully dry during that time. And then of course I had to get sick on top of it. I felt about as pathetic as I looked."

Hector looked amused about his own story. "It's probably a good thing that Adira and Quirin weren't around during that time. They never would have let me live it down."

Varian shivered and wrapped the wet cloak tighter around him. He felt wetter just from hearing the story. "What job did you need to do?" He knew that Hector had lived in a tree, but nobody would tell him why.

The amusement vanished from Hector's eyes. He shrugged and returned to his chair, whittling his figure again. Varian frowned and shifted. The conversation had started to go somewhere. Hector was relaxed. He was having fun. But then Varian had to open his mouth and ask a question that he shouldn't have. Again. That always seemed to be what it all boiled down too.

Varian tried not to let his hurt show, but Hector was better at reading people than he acted like he was. The man sighed and rubbed his face. "Kid, you know your dad doesn't like me talking about my work."

"I know." Varian wasn't disappointed about not having his curiosity satisfied, though that was an annoyance. He felt bad that his uncle couldn't talk about something he was passionate about. Varian didn't know what Hector did before he came to stay with them, but he knew that it was important to him. It wasn't fair to ask him to never talk about it. Varian imagined it would be like asking him to not talk about alchemy.

But Varian didn't know how to express that, so his uncle just went on thinking that he was letting him down.

Varian just wanted Hector to be able to talk about something that made his eyes spark passionately. He couldn't talk about his work, and whenever he talked about their family he got passionate, but also really sad. There had to be something else.

Varian didn't know what he looked like when he was frustrated with himself for not being able to find a solution to a problem. There had to be something there though, because Hector gave him a sad look. He cleared his throat and rolled his shoulders.

"Hey, Var, you want to see what I'm carving?" Hector asked. While Varian liked to try to solve problems when he saw them, Hector had two different strategies. He faced issues head-on, fighting his way through an issue, or he would distract himself until the problem went away.

Varian wasn't really interested in wood carving. He was frustrated with himself and just wanted to have a pity-party. But Hector was reaching out, and Varian knew how much it hurt when he tried to do the same, only to be rejected.

"Sure." Varian muttered. He stepped closer to Hector, looking over his shoulder. While Adira liked her personal space, Hector thrived on close contact. He liked being crowded. As Varian stood with him, Hector started to relax.

"Alright, do you see this?" Hector held up the wood. It had a few notches and curves in the smooth surface, but Varian didn't currently know what it was supposed to be. Hector ran his fingers along the grains in the wood. "The easiest way to do this is to follow the wood. If you want to make a dog, but the wood you have isn't the right shape or size for it, you can't force the wood to be what it's not. Let the wood speak to you. Listen to it, and help it become what it says it is."

"How?" Varian asked, because he didn't understand.

"Just take your time." Hector slid the knife across the wood, shaving some of it off a little at a time. Varian had seen him whittle before, but he'd never really watched him. Hector treated the wood with care that he didn't normally show. He turned the wood in his hands and took the knife to it at different angles. He etched, and carved, working in sharp edges and curves.

Hector explained what he was doing. He wasn't the best teacher in the world. His instructions were vague and metaphorical, talking about feelings instead of clear directions, but Varian enjoyed every minute of the demonstration. Hector just sounded so content, and there was a passion in his eyes. It wasn't as bright as it could be, but it was better than the eternal sadness that he carried with him.

Varian wondered if Hector was just like him. That maybe he could find passion in whatever he did, but what mattered most was that he had someone there who was listening to him. Varian couldn't talk to Hector about what they really cared about, and it wasn't great, but maybe that was okay. Seeing Hector talk about something that was just a simple hobby for him when he was bored, that was enough.

"Here, you wanna try?" Hector asked. He set the wood aside and pulled Varian onto his lap.

"Dad's not going to like me holding a knife." Varian said.

"I won't tell him if you won't." Hector said. Varian knew they couldn't keep secrets from his dad, but he liked being part of a secret, even if it didn't last.

Varian giggled and watched as Hector grabbed the wood and knife again. Hector carefully put his hands over Varian's and led the boy to hold the wood with one hand and the knife with the other.

"Just let me do it." Hector said. "Just let yourself feel it."

Varian nodded. He watched again as Hector worked, slower and more carefully than before. Sitting here and experiencing it for himself, it was amazing. Varian remembered when he was young, sitting on his mother's knee as she did this kind of thing with her alchemy. He'd forgotten that detail about his mother. He forgot a lot of things about her because his dad didn't like to talk about her.

Varian had felt like he was forbidden from thinking about his own mother, and whenever he did he felt guilty about it. Right now he felt a little sad, but also a little happy. He was glad to remember something about her, and he was happy that even though she was gone he still had family here, even if it sometimes felt like in their heads they were somewhere else.

"I think this is coming together." Hector said. Varian didn't really understand it, but he sounded like he knew what he was talking about. "Where do you think needs some work?"

"Uh…the head." Varian said. "The big part on top."

Hector smiled. "A head is it?"

Varian frowned. "Is it not a head?"

Hector shrugged. "I told you, it's for the wood to decide. If it's telling you head, it's a head." He started carving into the head, giving it a little more definition. "Let's just help it to get its message across a little more clearly."

They went on for a bit. After they did the head Varian suggested they work on the wings, and then the feet. Varian had to take a minute of looking at the carving to determine that it didn't have a tail. Varian didn't know what animal this was supposed to be, but it seemed like something that would normally have a tail. Looking at this wood though, he didn't see the natural makings of a tail. It looked right without it.

Finally, Varian didn't see a part that he thought needed more work, and Hector agreed. He held up the finished project, and it was unlike any animal Varian had seen. The head looked like that of a deer, but its ears were that of a fox. The body looked like a sitting wolf, with semi-outstretched wings that resembled that of a hummingbird. It was a weird looking creature, but Varian adored it.

"Wow." Varian said.

"I know." Hector said. He was smiling in a way that Varian had never seen from him before. "You did good, kid." Varian knew that Hector had done all of the work, but he still couldn't help but feel proud. Hector handed him the carving, and Varian held it carefully like it was something precious, because it was.

Eventually Quirin and Adira returned. Quirin was disappointed that they hadn't sold anything, but Varian didn't feel the sting of guilt that usually hit him when he let his dad down. He knew he couldn't have done more to sell things, and he knew that his dad knew it too. Quirin wasn't disappointed in him, he was disappointed in the situation.

They ended up spending the night in the inn. Quirin wanted to try again tomorrow, with all of them focusing on it. Quirin bought a room for the four of them to share, and reluctantly paid extra to have use of the bath house next door. Varian didn't like baths, and Hector didn't see the point of washing himself with lukewarm water when he was already wet.

Quirin eventually convinced them. Hector probably would have just stepped into the bath and then climbed out immediately, calling it good enough, but Quirin didn't let him. He pulled him back, pushed him under the water, and scrubbed him down. Varian smiled and splashed the water as he watched his dad and uncle practically wrestle. Eventually Hector was free to go, and Quirin's attention went to Varian.

"I don't think I've seen you this happy after a day at the capital." Quirin said. "Even though we didn't sell anything."

"Hector showed me how to carve wood." Varian said cheerfully. "I've got to show you." He'd been forced to leave their creation in the room. He couldn't wait to share it with his dad.

"Well, at least you two had a good day." Quirin said. He stopped scrubbing Varian's hair for a moment and just gently brushed his hair away. It was an affectionate gesture that Varian had missed so much. It was so simple, but it was almost enough to make him start crying. He held the tears back though, because he didn't want to scare his dad away with his crying.

"It's been so long since I've seen you smile like this." Quirin said quietly. "Both of you." Varian could understand that about Hector, because he'd been happy to see the same thing. But he hadn't realized that he was sad, and hadn't been truly smiling. Was his dad exaggerating? Could somebody be sad without realizing it?

Varian didn't know if something was wrong with him. He couldn't even begin to figure out how to solve a problem he didn't know about. But his dad said he looked better today. Happier. The only thing that was different was that Varian had finally found a way to reach Hector. Maybe that was all he needed.

Varian couldn't fix himself. He couldn't even fix Hector. But he could make things better for both of them. It probably wouldn't be enough, but at least Varian had an idea of what to do moving forward.