The conversation ended and they disbanded. Va’il and Ruby explored the beach for a while, spoke a bit with the two youths, Derlik’s younger siblings, and then ate lunch. Afterwards they talked with Ofir, Elsa, and Ulin about the city and country of Rising. The father and his in-laws were fascinated by the first-hand experiences of a world they had never seen. Dena dropped in on the conversation every so often, but she was mostly busy with house chores and ordering Derlik around.
At night a magnificent feast awaited, though by bearan standards it was paltry. Afterwards they sat by the fireplace, keeping warm while listening to the adults speak. The air was cool, bothering the children who didn’t have much in terms of hair or fur, and didn’t expect such a chill during the summer. There was a brief mention of Va’il’s unique hair and eye color, but Va’il only responded by saying he was a half. The bearans didn’t question it further, but the mention made Ruby think of it. She was used to Va’il’s look, but she hadn’t given it much thought.
The night ended, and the family retired for the night. Derlik was especially happy to sleep in his old bed, though it had been a while since he last had. Va’il and Ruby slept in the main room, as close to the fire as possible. It would slowly die throughout the night, but the warmth it gave before it did was the only way the children could stand the cold that they weren’t used to dealing with, the one that came from certain oceanic winds in the region.
“Hey, Va’il,” Ruby said, “are you still awake?”
“Yeah,” Va’il said.
“I’ve been wondering about something. Do you remember something from a long time ago, when we first met? The first time, ever?”
“Sure. You were pretty rude back then. But that time was filled with strange things happening.”
“Just who is the rude one now? Fine, I admit it. But I was thinking about something else. That’s the only time I’ve asked you some questions about yourself. I don’t really know much, I was thinking.”
“That’s fine, isn’t it? I mean, I don’t know so much about you either, if you think about it. I know you’re Ruby. That’s enough for me, since I know who Ruby is and how she acts. I also know she’s important, but that isn’t really important to really know, right?”
“I suppose you’re right. But there are other things to know, that can be known.”
“Yeah. But when I think of it, there isn’t much left to know about others. We see each other daily, even if it’s only for a few minutes or hours. We know how we all act. We know what each of us is like. The only other stuff is how we are at home, and the people in those homes.”
“That’s what I was thinking of. You know Shiroi is my servant. You know her. But you don’t know about where I live, my parents, my home, or other people I know.”
“Yeah, but those aren’t needed, for me, are they?”
“Maybe. But that’s me. What about you? What more do I know, than Va’il yourself? And I was thinking, and could only remember bits of our first encounter. And how strange it was. And how some things were true, others were false. And even though I’m used to it now, these people reminded me about the things I’m missing.”
“We’re missing a lot, being here. What do you mean?”
“Va’il, you’ve only told me you’re a half. I’ve never really pried, but didn’t you say your mother is your only family member?” Ruby asked. Va’il didn’t answer right away, and thought of where Ruby was leading, where she’d been leading all along that he’d been trying to avoid. His throat tightened some.
“Yes.”
“And she’s just a normal lupus woman, right?”
“Yes.”
“Do you know anything at all about your father, then?” Va’il remained quiet at Ruby’s question. He tried thinking about how to answer. He wanted to say that he didn’t know anything, but that was no longer true. He knew he could lie, but he wanted to avoid that as well. He didn’t want to answer the question, and wanted to pretend it never happened. His lasting silence conveyed that after a while.
“My father is dead,” Ruby said after a while. “He was gone at an age I barely recall. He was quite a bit older than mother, and one day his heart gave out on him. Much too early in life, even for his age. But that’s all I know. Well, personally, aside from a couple faded memories. I know my family history, his history well. But as for the person himself, mother never really talks about him, but sometimes the older servants will mention a few things about him. He was Kaz Melonscone. Every so often the older ones would look at me and exclaim that I have Kaz’s eyes and nose. Sometimes I’d do something mother wouldn’t care for, and she’d scold me saying I am just like my father in those respects. But to me, there isn’t anything real about him. I’m his one descendant, the only child of a union between two great families. The daughter of a second marriage, with half-sisters who don’t really like me. When they do, I can’t be sure if they are real or faking it. I’m Ruby Louise Melonscone. And Va’il, now you know something more about me. If we’re separated from Rising for a while, it doesn’t hurt for you to know more about me.”
The room grew even dimmer as the fire finished a piece of wood. The low lights and flickers of shadows barely illuminated the two of them. They couldn’t see each other, even with the small amount of light.
“My father no longer lives as well,” Va’il said, his voice solemn and quiet.
“I’m sorry,” Ruby said. She felt her conscience rise with overwhelming guilt. She felt like she had pried information out of Va’il against his will by using her own story against him. “I’m sorry. I really shouldn’t have said anything.”
“No. I want to tell you. But there aren’t many things I can say. You wanted to know if I got my unique looks from him, didn’t you?”
“Sorry. Sorry, yes, I was thinking that.” Ruby’s voice was soft, filled with emotion.
“It’s all right. Things have changed since then. I told you before I didn’t know who he was, but that he lived. I can tell you now, I know he no longer lives. And that I did inherit much from him. But don’t apologize. Don’t. It’s natural you’d want to know. Especially now that we aren’t in a bumpy cart with Derlik hearing everything we say. And we won’t be home again for a while. But I’ll take you there. Don’t fret about me. I don’t mind telling you. But this is all I have to tell you, right now. If we get back home, maybe I can bring you to Mum for a while. She’s really nice. She’s always anxious to know about my friends. So just be okay for right now.”
Ruby hummed a sound of acknowledgement, and then stayed silent, waiting for the veil of sleep to arrive. She thought of her own actions and desires. She wanted to know more. She wanted so many things that she couldn’t contain herself. She was fraught with problems out of her control. But she took comfort, knowing she could deal with them. It was her own desires that had given her grief, though. She felt it wrong to pry, to know things about a person that they didn’t want to tell others. She had secrets herself, things she didn’t want to reveal. She asked herself if she was a hypocrite. She thought everything over yet again.
She was happy, she realized. She was scared and afraid of knowing things others wanted hidden, but behind it all she was happy. She had been given an answer, a sliver of what she wanted to know. And though she wasn’t happy with the method she used, she got it. She now knew a personal piece of information, and that was priceless to her. As she thought on it more, she recalled Va’il’s kind words. She smiled in the dark, remembering that he said he wanted her to know. And he had given more than what he had to. She knew he wouldn’t speak if he really didn’t want to. She held this small confidence in the boy she called her friend, and looked forward to knowing more about him.
A question appeared in her mind, more prominently then ever before: Who is, or who was, Va’il’s father? Was it just a common man? A noble? A foreigner? Someone from another country with looks vastly different? Not just that, but a human man that could approach a lupus female. Va’il was unique in his looks, and that was something that had concerned Ruby for a while. She wondered if Va’il knew who he was the son of, or if he only knew about his father’s demise. She couldn’t think any longer, as sleep and weariness tore at her. She decided she knew enough, and if she ever found out more in the future, she could relish it at that time. In all her thoughts, she somehow never stumbled upon even an idea of the truth; it was still far too foreign a concept to her.
Much time had passed since their conversation, so Ruby thought it all right to say, “Thank you, Va’il,” quietly, aloud to herself. She gripped the blankets and snuggled in their warmth.