Who: Noah, Aedan, Meghan, Ellie, Balthier When: Current Where: Craigcrook Castle, Edinburgh, Scotland What: Noah's got a nick on his hand, so Balthier came over to help with lunch. Aedan comes home from shopping with Meghan and Ellie for school supplies. Rating/Warnings: Balthier's discussing that he was hurt before he got here, Aedan / Noah's backstories (kids in danger) is vaguely mentioned, Meghan's worried about her safety Status: Complete
"You really could sit and let me cook." Balthier's got one of Noah's aprons on and he's cleaning peas from the garden. The plan was originally some kind of soup, but it's raining in an almost fall like fashion outside, and the idea of roasting some chicken and peas seems like a good idea. The peas are a little big because Noah hadn't had the chance to pick them, so the cooking time wouldn't be bad for them, and besides, peas were on the no list with Clint.
Noah has a bandage on his hand (attack blender bits, not that bad, just a cut) and he's digging out a pan to cook everything in. "If we're the only ones here, I bet we could blend the veggies afterwards and do a soup with the leftovers."
"Might need to add fresh stuff for the color, but I bet it'd taste good. I'm washing the leeks, okay?" Balthier eyes him. "I swear, you've still got the commander struggling to get out of bed habits."
Aedan, Ellie, and Meghan are heading back up to the house now, bags in hand as they’re going. “So, really.” Ellie’s saying. “You’re probably set for a bit as far as supplies go. They’ve mostly got uniforms here, but as far as the webpage looked, some of the girls had skirts or trousers, depending. It’s like there’s a line of school approved gear for you to pick from, depending on your year and all of THAT.”
“And if not, we CAN go back.” Aedan’s pretty glad for the distraction of heading out with the girls really. He doesn’t want to think about what’s happening to Sherr right now, so grabbing a few things helped. He’d needed new boots anyway, so to the shops it was.
“There’s still your hair.” Ellie’s studying Meghan. “Depending on what you want with THAT, of course.”
Meghan frowns, a hand going protectively to the mass of waves she’s wearing down. “Like this, I think.” It’s easier to hide it that way. Maybe it’s a BIT dramatic, but…”Considering I don’t want to do this.”
“Well that,” Aedan opens the door. “Is when you use it for a bribe of some kind. Tell them you’ll go if you get something you wanted, eh? What’s one thing you’d like, now that you’re here?”
Meghan’s confident in that, at least. “A bird. I’d settle for a pretty budgie but I’d rather something I could hunt with. Is that still a thing? A nice falcon or hawk?”
“I mean...there’s places, training for that.” Ellie muses, and hearing voices near the kitchen, pauses. “Sounds like Balthier’s over. Want to go and say hello?”
“Let’s put the messages down first.” Aedan’s nodding to the couch in the entryway. “We probably need to do a bit of modeling for everyone later anyway. You know our parents.”
Balthier is over. He's visible, in the kitchen, wearing an apron that's actually not a 50's or 70's thing from the op shop. It's a stripey one probably bought at the beach. He's sitting at the counter, shelling peas, and chatting cheerfully with Noah, who's on a stepstool holding a roasting pan.
There's two mugs on the counter, still steaming, and the kettle. They've been here for a bit.
Aedan’s poking his head in first, while the other two are doing...whatever girls do when they organize new clothes, he doesn’t get the details and he doubts he ever will. “Balthier, hey. We didn’t know that you were coming and forget it did we? Elle would be upset.”
"I stopped by to pick up some stuff for Courfeyrac's theater thing, and found out that Noah had a bit of a cut on his hand." Balthier's coat is over on a chair draped over a box of cookies from the bakery.
Noah shows the bandage. "It's not bad. I was just sweeping up when Balthier came by, so he wanted to come over and help me with lunch. There's broth on the stove, but we were going to roast some chicken and peas. We were debating if we should do pasta or rice with it."
"Could do potatoes? Is Ellie here? Meghan? We could do a vote." Balthier takes a break to stretch his back and snag his mug. "There's tea."
“Ouch, aye that’s right,” Aedan winces a bit. “Got in the way of the blade, right? Any better today? You can put me on some sort of duty too, if that’ll help things move along. They’re coming through now. We were just down to the shops, getting Meghan sorted for school and I needed a few things while we were at it.”
“He needed boots.” Ellie rolls her eyes as they come in. “Which took longer than both of us combined, somehow. Hello Balthier. Good to see you.”
Meghan’s heading around too, and giving them both a little bit of a nod. Her cousins seem to like Noah well enough, and she doesn’t have any particular problems with him, so that’s a start. Things are still a wee bit awkward, considering how she’s more like an interloper in their home, but if they really, if NOAH really doesn’t mind it, who is she to say a word about that, right?
“Tea is wonderful.” she smiles, going to grab a mug. “ANd anything is fine for food.” The pasta is more of a novelty than the others, but really, she could do potatoes too.
"I could put you to work," Balthier eyes Aedan. "I'd be happier if you got a mug of broth or something. I'll join in if you do."
Aedan rolls his eyes a little, not able to stop himself from that, but..
“I can do that if it helps.” He says, shrugging a little. “Probably a good idea. I don’t remember if I ate today or not.”
“We got a coffee.” Ellie says. “Earlier at the shopping centre with the cake pops you cringed at us getting.”
“I don’t understand them.” Aedan laughs. “I think it’s a girl thing. They were PRETTY anyway.”
"I'm pretty sure I'm running on three cups of coffee and a slice of pizza." Balthier slides a mug over to Aedan and gets his own. "What is a cake pop?"
"We got asked if we could duplicate another shop's version for half the price." Noah offers. "The owner vetoed it and offered that we could make our own options. I think we ended up making petit fours again." He's setting the pan down. "How did the shopping go?"
“Mashed up cake and icing dipped in harder icing.” Ellie says, “Decorated, usually. Not as nice as the bakery’s but it WAS Starbucks, so you can’t expect things to be nice. And it went pretty well.” She’s thinking it could have gone BETTER, but they got through the parts that involved difficulty. “We had it under control. Mostly.” She adds in an undertone that’s more for Noah.
“I found good things.” Meghan nods. “I guess they’ll have a uniform most of the time but for the rest, there were good things.” Some of which were veto’d for reasons she doesn’t entirely get, but well, Ellie said she’d explain that later.
"School stuff can be weird. That line between being comfortable and not standing out more than you want to." Balthier grimaces. "It was weird for me, since home was different from here. I think that helped Courfeyrac a bit, since we could talk about it. Though I think he's happy as long as he feels confident."
Noah gets persuaded to sit and measure salt and the like for the pan. "This'll take about a half hour once it goes in. If you want to sit and talk while it roasts?"
“Looking like everyone else there should help.” Meghan says, nodding. “Less chance it looks as much as like I don’t belong as I do out here.” She’s glad about that part, weird as it seems. “And rather different for the rest, aye. It’s nice things got less formal. Ladies wore breeches enough if they had reasons for it, work or otherwise, but not so much for me, of course. And I was smaller then and unless I was riding...It’ll be nice taking the chance now. Denim’s weird.” she adds, shaking her head and Aedan has to nod at that.
“I...could do a bit of talking, aye. Or if there’s anything that I could…” There are napkins, and absently Meghan’s reaching over to start folding them.
"Plates are that way." Noah's gesturing. "I can help bring over things for bread with you. I'm being easy on my hand, Bunansa, don't kick me in the shin."
"I'm thankfully not a pile of recursive Bunansas now. And Meghan's not heard that story." Balthier snorts. "Just be gentle with it." He's snuggling the chicken in and checking the oven temperature absently by waving his hand in it before sliding the chicken in. It's - habit. Oven temperatures are still very much a "the recipe says this" and he still checks to see if it feels about right. "Library? I think the fire's going in there. That rain cuts right through you if you're not expecting it."
“Siblings and the army thing? Meghan guesses. “I’d heard all of you were in. Must’ve gotten a bit confusing, aye. For us at least, there’s a first name sort of basis to work with. You pop a royal title in front of the first names instead when you’re looking for someone, you ken?”
“Library sounds good.” Ellie’s hair is a little damp. “I didn’t remember to bring along a hat. You’d think I’d learn by now, but being at the sanctuary’s got me spoiled.”
"Aye. Our father was Dr. Bunansa, my brother was Judge Bunansa stuck mostly at a desk, my sister was Judge Bunansa patrolling the streets, and I was an engineer, and Judge Bunansa the youngest. So there was a bit of tell Officer Bunansa that Officer Bunansa said this and that." Balthier wipes down the counter. "Right." He snags his mug of broth. "Let's warm up. How are you all doing? Do you want to hear about the saga of the kid's theater thing?"
“Ooh please.” Aedan leans in a little. “Em said that Courfeyrac had mentioned it was becoming a bit of a thing. He didn’t have details beyond THAT. He’s been...preoccupied and made a new friend Jacob thinks could use support, but for a while there I know that it was something.”
"They were doing kind of Greek mythology reinterpreted. Cool idea of everyone posing as the night sky and then retelling the stories kind of - edited to be more kid friendly." Balthier's heading over to sit, and Noah takes up his usual corner. "One of the kids wanted to do kind of other versions of constellations, so we did stars around the world and sort of stories sort of thing. Had a darling kid doing a version of the Pangur Ban poem."
Balthier waves a hand. "So we ended up with about six of the kids being mice and being chased by a kid dressed up as a white cat. Cute. I ended up helping glue up cat headbands. Do you know your classes yet, Meghan? Or are you stuck in covering basics of stuff until they know where to place you?"
“Officially when I come in, they’re going to have me sit some tests.” Meghan explains. “I expect I’ll be close to the lowest group. It’s a senior school so that’s only a year or so younger than me.” She shakes her head a little. “I don’t particularly love the idea, but I’ll not squander it either. The better I do, the better chance at a decent job in future, eh?” She’s wincing all the same.
“Before that, I’ve got medical screenings to have done for them. More than a few vaccines to take, lucky girl that I am. Still, it’s likely better than dying of something nasty and preventable.”
"I'm sure we can arrange folks to go with you? I think we're all due for another round of stuff." Balthier grimaces. "There's a few of the - what's it - tetanus? Stuff you're supposed to take if you work at the school, and since I'm not from a place that had vaccines, I'm supposed to have them a bit more often."
“Aye that one’s a bit nasty.” Aedan winces. “Barn stuff so I’m on similar. Good for a bit right now, but soon enough someone is probably due. They’re pushing this years flu one fairly hard, but last year’s made Uncle Cal sicker than if he’d had his chances with the disease, so that one’s up in the air.”
“Yet there’s nothing about anything to cure a cold still?” Meghan wrinkles her nose. “The body’s odd that way. I know plenty of methods that can HELP and ease things on, but a cure or prevention beyond adding things in to what you eat or drink would be nice, eh no? I’ve probably had worse pain than jabs if I had to think back.”
"Balthier said the other issue with the flu is that it's sort of - variants. Kind of like -" Noah frowns. "The analogy I got was that they're treating you for squash, but if this year is pumpkins, and not acorn squash, it'll not do much good."
"Creepy story they had on the net was that there was a place that you couldn't be buried if you die there. Some nasty flu went through the town, and it stays super cold up there. But not cold enough to kill the virus in the poor folks that died." Balthier sips his broth. "It's hard to imagine that there's the science to know that now."
“Amazing that it’s down to knowing viruses are what can cause something specific instead of things just being a theory.” Meghan says, sounding pretty fascinated. “It was guesswork always, for us. At best, we’d seen it enough that the answer was obviously something I could go and fetch and make into a medicine. And worst was...never pretty. You could find apostates sometimes who could heal if you knew how to ask around but that was a mess of nerves the whole way through and hoping no one knew you’d been consulting with one you didn’t report. Of course, after our circle burnt...no one wanted to send the poor things to KIRKWALL.”
“Aye to THAT.” Ellie nods quite firmly. “Not then at least. Da was there for the start of that war, obviously. Said he knew some Tranquil. My governess always said I’d end up one of those if I didn’t learn some self control. At the time, it didn’t always seem the worst. I like this better, that I kept my soul, of course. Learning Divine Victoria would never have allowed it helped, once I understood more, but I was thirteen when it started, so, you listen to your teachers then.”
"I hate how people treated you when you were young. Not that Aedan or Meghan had it better, between the coup and all of that." Noah grimaces.
"I'm probably the one of us here with a more normal childhood, and my father was trying to get me in the army when I was still pretty young for that." Balthier sips his soup. "I'm not sure how much they told you, Meghan, but Noah's hometown got invaded, and he ended up in the army. It wasn't easy. I grew up - fairly well off? My father designed cutting edge weaponry for the army, so we had money and political cache. Tons of formal parties."
Meghan nods a little, studying Noah with something a little more like interest now. She’s kept a bit of healthy distance from him, on the principle of him being someone in the family who has a right to dictate how her life might go. It’s not much different from when her grandmother handled much the same. There wasn’t quite a LOT of stepping in, since she did have a mother but seeing as hers wasn’t nobility until she married Iomhar, there were lots of places she grew up naturally expecting that the Princess-Consort, or the Crown Princess-Consort, her Aunt Lily, would have had a lot of say.
It’s best you keep those with that sort of influence over how you’re raised at a bit of an arms length until they can be trusted. And while Meghan did trust both her Aunt and Grandmother, Noah’s….she barely knows him, so she’s erred a little on the side of not attracting his attention or bothering him with too many questions or concerns or other antics. She’s managed to slip by so far, and it’s been helpful, but…
It looks a little like the piper’s bill may well be coming due here.
“That sounds quite awful all around far as invasions go.” She’d assumed Noah had always been a high ranking official, in his world, but perhaps she was mistaken there. “My own life wasn’t quite so bad, after the obvious. Nothing you wouldnae expect for an orphan someone’s gracefully taken in and is waiting to see if they’ll prove worth the kindness when it’s time for that debt to be repaid in training. Until then, quite a lot like yours I would expect, Ser Balthier. I remember the parties, too. I was usually too young to stay for ALL of them, but Grandmother would let me make an appearance to say hello to guests.”
"I was sort of - I'd help soldiers from poorer families get a pretty outfit and some dancing lessons to keep me busy, or I'd hunt mimics." Balthier shrugs. "It wasn't so bad, then. My father had issues though. Noah, by that point, wasn't in charge of us, but he'd stop by occasionally, doing his other work."
"And I wasn't really in a position to talk to a lot of people," Noah says. "I was basically - a spymaster, I suppose would be a good analogy. Bodyguard for the heir and also told to keep an eye on him, and pushed by my own stupidity into some political stuff I regret. Before that - I got in the army at about fifteen or so. It was a bad winter, and the invading forces lost a lot of men as well. They knew my mother had died and that I was alone, so I was offered a chance to join the army."
“That sounds like a nice time to do things.” Meghan grins. “Likely better than spending time with the same old crowd and someone new got to benefit from a little bit of fun, it sounds like. I could see that being amazing. And a spymaster with many other duties besides.that, Ser Noah. It seems your jobs at home include more specific tasks to work with. Bodyguarding as well’s impressive. And…” She nods.
“Fifteen’s good for that sort of thing if you need help and have a way that you can prove yourself. The militia didn’t ask questions and round that age, they’d gladly have you in for training. More than one bast..” She stops, remembering Tony’s reaction about Aedan.
“More than one person with no official ties who did not find their way to other work joined then. But it sounds as if you moved far more swiftly than they would advance someone at home. You must have been skilled. And oh that winter sounds...I’m sorry to hear about those difficulties for you. Living through that must have been worse.”
"Part of it was that Archades was expanding quickly." Noah sighs. "But I was decent at my job, and I literally thought I had nothing else to do, so I dedicated myself to being the best I could at what I had. But when my charge - Lord Vayne, the heir, told me to help conquer Dalmasca to prevent more deaths - at the time it seemed very logical. I never considered that I could not say no to it. And that I should have. But - my brother and I are mending our bridges and I am far happier here than I was there."
"And you're a lot more rough on yourself, Noah, than we are on you. It was a bad situation for everyone. I shouldn't have gone to Nalbina alone, but I thought it was the best. And I'm sure Ellie and Aedan have examples of weighing choices and not being sure of what'd help the most." Balthier shrugs. "It's in the past. We're here, and safe, and happy."
“Aye, that IS true.” Aedan nods. “Arno told me that we’re all harder on ourselves than anyone else is going to be on us. It’s one of those things to do with inner critics and seeing full pictures later on. I think it may be true. And your choices then… did you quite have a choice or did you have a bad option and a bad option that could have gotten you or someone else around you killed? There IS a difference in that.”
"It's hard to call it a bad option, when you don't really want to consider how bad it could go?" Noah laughs. "I suppose that is a flaw of mine. I wasn't in the best spot before I ended up here, so all the better that I did. And to know that Basch is hale and well is even better. Sebastian was very patient with me, early on. I remember poor Calum tried to ask me if I understood that I could ask for things or move to be happiest, and I was very confused."
Aedan snorts at that. “Seems like the only thing that you COULD call it then, Nuclear, perhaps, but none of us had that context, at home now did we? And aye, things have gone a long way for you, haven’t they?”
“And here you are, with us and..” Ellie’s smiling at Noah. “Everyone’s doing well here now. We’ve got things worked out so we can turn to each other when there is something we need. It took a little getting used to, as a thing, that I was not...that being what I am didn’t mean I had no rights. I know what Officer Pat said, after we’d moved here and he met me and it was much like that.”
"I was terrified that I'd get pulled into the military some how." Balthier waves a hand. "I didn't build weapons like my father, but I knew enough to be potentially valuable. And I wanted to avoid that."
“Can they do that?” Meghan wonders, curious. “Just pull someone new in? It seems against the guidelines i was given, though they did say I would probably be back in their cells soon enough, and probably worse. I hope I won’t deserve THAT.”
“THAT’s probably my fault, the reaction.” Aedan absently twitches a few fingers. “I have a reputation. And was BAD when I arrived. It’s hard to forget something like the things I managed.”
"They can't do that unless you're doing something, or if they want to break the laws. So not going to be happening." Balthier sets down his empty mug. "Iomhar was expecting to fight for his life when he got here, and Calum was - wasn't he pretty injured when he showed up? In someone's lake? It's been confusing for people. I could see why the cops would be worried."
“It did have more the tone of my mistress saying she’d call the guard on me as a broken indenture if I didn’t return with water or supplies fast enough.” Meghan laughs a little at the memory. ‘To be fair she meant it, and that was the last thing you’d ever want to deal with. so..I made certain I didn’t waste time she could have used my service. And in this case, Officer Pat did tell them to shut up about Vaels and eventualities so that worked out.”
"They were being pretty anxious. We'll defend you though. Just like we defend all the rest of the family." Balthier pats near her hand. "Want more tea? I should check the chicken."
“That IS kind of on me.” Aedan shakes his head. ‘It...takes some getting used to, the local sense of humor about things like that. But they WOULD need a reason, and a good one.”
“Tea sounds nice.” Meghan stands up. “I can help if you like.”
"Up to you? As long as Noah leaves his hand alone." Balthier smiles at her. "Lunch should be done soon as well."
Aedan’s glancing at Noah’s hand there. “I can try making sure for you he doesn’t. Best for all involved here, right?”
"I'll take it easy." Noah leans back.
Balthier holds the door for her and waits till there's some distance. "Aedan was on the streets and stole out of habit when he got here. Sort of - it was a way to feel like if something went wrong, and he got kicked out, he'd survive. So the cops saw him fairly often until Sebastian understood what was going on and Aedan felt more safe."
“Aye, he’s mentioned a bit of that.” Meghan’s nodding. “It makes sense why the cops have a sort of...They know Vaels, it seems.” She laughs. “Better he’s in a good place now, though, by far. At home he very well COULD have ended up in dire straits. Of course, getting caught for theft…” She winces a bit. “It was a fair bit to risk.”
"He was on the streets. He had the option of stealing to live or depending on other people to protect him. I don't blame him for being scared. I think Noah still gets anxious if he's not sure what the next meal will be." Balthier's refilling his mug and heading to check the oven. "And he's censoring things, Noah. He was closer to 13, from what he told me, when his mother died. Maybe barely fourteen."
“Aye, right. It makes sense enough.” Meghan says. “Its a risk is all, but given the circumstances, well, proves that they WERE dire ones is all. And Noah’s..” She blinks. “Well that does change things a lot.” Meghan’s grabbing more tea of her own. “You can see where that’s informed, of course. I’m not GOOD at seeing that sort of thing, but I’d say it’s fair obvious with this.”
And she's studying Balthier a moment. “I’ve got the feeling you were doing the same, censoring. Don’t feel you need to share if you’re not comfortable, I just...it’s a marvel you’re all adjusted here. A good thing, but some things are dark and dire, no?”
"Here? I'm pretty all right. Before we got here, I think Noah was expecting to get executed, and I was expecting to die if I was lucky. It wasn't great, and sometimes I still feel pretty tired. But we're here and safe." Balthier shrugs. "Noah pushes himself sometimes. That's why I'm nagging him to rest."
“He does seem that type.” Meghan bites her lip. “Intense. Is that...he uses it well enough, no?”
"Hm? He's gotten better about resting. He has lunch with Aedan and Ellie when he can. Sebastian's a good excuse to get him to rest. And he checks in with people. But you'll probably catch him catnapping occasionally when it gets colder." Balthier sips his tea watching her. "He doesn't expect other people to keep up? It's a - I guess he feels like he's got to know he can relax. Like a dog checking all the doors before sleeping?"
Meghan nods at that. “I don’t think I could keep up with that so it’s good he doesn’t, I don’t...I’d wondered, how he runs things here. It’s hard to get a feel, considering it’s not the normal sort of system anyone I know would have been used to. It seems fairly straightforward enough, no games or hidden agendas at work,” She hopes.
Balthier moves to check the food and closes the oven again. "It looks pretty good, but we could give it a little longer. And as far as I know, usually he or Sebastian cook dinner, or they have something that can be warmed up in the fridge. There's - you've been shown the calendar, right? People check in with what they're up to so you can usually figure out who'll be around. Beyond that, I think it's Calum, Iomhar, and Sebastian who do more of the around the house stuff? Noah's not too picky on day to day stuff."
“I did see that, aye. I wasn’t certain who scheduled that, how much leeway there is for that or anything.” Meghan nods a bit. “So being in a home he manages is not so much to learn. I’d wondered when things might shift into place, if this was some sort of a honeymoon, but good to know there’s less to be concerned about than I’ve thought so far.” Sebastian’s another unknown quantity, and the major one, considering his place, and technically his city too, but…
“Those two are self explanatory enough. My da and Uncle Calum. Sebastian’s a new story but Aedan says it’s not so bad as that. It’s more considering that I don’t quite belong here and at any point I COULD be asked to leave and no one else could do a thing...not that it would, but that it COULD...it’s hard to know straightaway what it is I’ll be getting into. School too, but they’ve got rules THERE, plain as anything, at least as far as what they’re wanting you to think when you go on their websites.”
"As far as I know, Noah usually checks in about meals, and tries to organize time if people want it. So stuff like help studying, or he might ask if you want to join in with something. But there's no strict schedule for things. And legally they can't kick you out without arranging adults to be with you. You're underaged, so it's illegal." Balthier tilts his head. "Are you really worried someone'll want to kick you out?"
“It’s hard to know how far their powers go.” Meghan muses, matter of factly. “How and what I might manage to screw this up by doing and what happens next. I don’t need people hating me or making them hate me because I didn’t understand something.” Not everyone can like you, of course, and she doubts that so far most people would, but either way,
“Better to go in armed with knowledge, just in case.”
"Well, they didn't kick out Aedan, and he was pretty stressed out about that for a while. And they didn't kick out Noah and Basch when they got here. Didn't kick out me, when I visited. Didn't kick out Ellie." Balthier shakes his head. "Think of it this way. People kind of assume you might be a little out of balance as you find out what things are like. It's okay. You literally thought your entire family was dead, and suddenly you've got folks around, and they've got a house without crazy jerks in it. That's got to be sudden."
“That’s good to hear.” She nods. “It’s...I don’t know, a little strange, so much left to interpretation. I don’t think my cousins are going to go telling me anything that’s not true, but the lack of rules is harder. I never know exactly what’s too far, or what someone’s going to be bothered by. I suppose time’s the thing to help with that. And Noah and Sebastian and the rest of you have all been kind. “ She smiles. “It’d just be easier, with guidelines.”
"And things differ all over the world. I'm not sure on the guidelines for everything. But I can try to answer questions? Got any, before I call them for food?" Balthier's bringing some bread over to the table.
“Well, of course they would. It’d be the same at home. It’s just more...here it’d be not bad to know some things.” Meghan bites her lip. “Does it look critical to say as much to someone? Uncle Cal maybe. He’d probably get that. And more important, can I help with this?”
"You did the napkins. We've got plates and silverware. Food's in the oven, and - ah - want to bring this over to the counter so the hot pan won't hurt it?" Balthier nods slowly. "And - yeah. I don't think Noah likes the idea of secrets. He had too many before and it's a lot easier to just tell people everything you're comfortable telling them instead of having a long list of what you don't talk about."
Meghan blinks a little at that but it’s true that, generally, if you don’t HAVE to hide something you’re doing because it means you’ll lose your position and be left scrambling for anything, especially when you make a mistake or do something you’re not technically supposed to do until you’re on your own and…
She nods. “It might be a good idea then, to try organizing some of what...the things I’d like to talk about. It’s a few of them, and maybe even just some things from home that I should mention.”
"It's also - you might want to chat with Aedan about that? He was anxious, when Noah was talking about getting engaged with Sebastian, and they talked about some of the concerns. I think it went well, so - you might hear how that went?" Balthier hms. "Shall I call the others?"
“That’s a good idea.” Meghan looks thoughtful nodding. “Thank you. This has helped.”
Balthier eyes her. "What's your opinions on hugs? Can I give you one with your permission?"
“I’m not very good at them, but they’re pleasant.” Meghan says, giving him a smile. “I’d like that.”
Balthier gently tucks an arm around her to hug her. "I can't promise I'm perfect either."