BT - Book 1 - Chapter 60 (Patreon)

“Have another slice of ham Trevor,” Micah’s mother slid the slab of pink meat onto his brother’s plate.  “We haven’t had a chance to all get together and celebrate your achievements with the Lancers yet.”

“I’m glad at least one of my sons cares about his future,” she continued, putting another chunk of meat onto Trevor’s plate.  “A guild is a respectable profession, and I heard from Lisa-Mae that you just completed some sort of major achievement over there?”

Micah ate his salad, doing the best to keep a smile off of his face.  It was his birthday, and his mother had escalated his reception from frosty to ice-cold.  He really hadn’t been home all that much to help defuse the situation after he turned down the apprenticeship with Keeper Ansom.

Apparently, Mom wasn’t going to let him forget that choice anytime soon.  Micah glanced at the meat and cakes on his sister and father’s plates, struggling to avoid chuckling.  As funny as the situation was, drawing attention to himself right now was just asking for a maternal scolding.

“Yeah,” Trevor shoveled a forkful of food into his mouth.  “Once the guild saw how good I was, they put me in an expedited leadership program.  We just cleared our first dungeon and it sounds like I’ll have my own squad by the end of the year.  Even though a lot of people have Uncommon blessings, apparently my class is special.  The proctor at my intake got really excited when she saw it.”

“Good!” Their mother sat down, a large smile on her face as she gazed solely at Trevor.  “And what is this I hear about a girlfriend?  Are you using contraceptive spells or am I going to be a grandmother sometime soon?”

“MOM!” Trevor choked on the slice of ham.  Their father just burst out laughing.

“Is Trevor going to have a baby?” Esther asked, squinting at him before turning back to their mother.  “Mom, make Trevor have a baby.  I’ve been watching Dad work and I have all sorts of ideas for outfits that would look so cute on a baby.”

“Honey,” their father interjected, wiping a tear away from his face as he tried to force a serious expression.  “You’ve only been talking to Trevor for the last ten minutes.  It’s Micah’s birthday.  Why don’t we turn to the boy of the hour.”

Micah did his best to avoid a smirk.  He really should have been upset at his mother’s treatment of him, but he knew it was coming from a place of love.  She still hoped to convince him to take an apprenticeship. 

She’d be right if he didn’t already have his path.  Unfortunately, she wasn’t Trevor.  If Micah told her why he was hiding out in the woods rather than becoming a productive member of society, the entire neighborhood would know by sundown.

“Fine,” she turned her head to Micah, her lips compressed into a tight line.  “Tell us about your adventures in the forest Micah.  I’m sure that you’ll be able to find a great job with all of your… camping… experience.  Perhaps as a forester?  Maybe a trapper?  Or would it be in some other profession that doesn’t involve bathing regularly?”

“Veronica,” his father snapped at her.  “I know you’re upset with the boy, but he has to find his own way.  Can you at least let him have his birthday supper with the family without turning it into a passive aggressive circus?”

“Jon-” she began, taken aback.

“You were just complaining about how Micah doesn’t come home enough,” he shook his head.  “Maybe if you didn’t bite the boy's head off everytime he stepped inside the door we’d see more of him?”

Micah shifted slightly in his seat while his parents bickered.  Even though he was actually closer to their age than the one listed on his status sheet, the situation was still uncomfortable.  Across the table from him, Esther stared at her hands.  Only Trevor continued to eat his dinner undisturbed by their parents’ theatrics.

“I just want him to do well Jon,” there were unshed tears at the corner of his mother’s eyes as she broke eye contact.  “I went through so much before you met me.  I just couldn’t take the idea of one of my babies going through all of that.  The stares.  The words, whispered behind hands.  The fake pity.”

“I get it Mom,” Micah smiled slightly.  “You’re just going to have to trust me.  Trevor and I are working together and I’m making a lot of progress.  I already have a pretty good idea of what my blessing will be and I’m getting a head start on it.  It’s not easy work, but it will only put me in a better position once I turn sixteen.”

“I guess if Trevor is taking care of you,” she mumbled while the young man suddenly perked up from his plate before shifting in his chair guiltily.  “If he’s training you on how to use the spear, it can’t be all bad.  Maybe you can get a fancy class like his.”

“Of course Mother,” Micah turned to look at Trevor, his eyes glinting.  “Trevor spends every weekend training with me.  I’m sure he’ll be able to keep me safe from whatever is hiding out in the woods.”

“Good,” She turned to Trevor, not noticing his visible discomfort as he withered under Micah’s gaze.  “Trevor, you need to make sure that Micah is actually learning out there.  It can’t be all camping and fun.  He needs to actually be ready to join a guild when he gets his blessing.”

“Don’t worry,” Micah shook his head.  “Trevor is working me hard.  If we aren’t sparring or working on theory, we’re out in the field fighting monsters.  It’s pretty exciting actually.  Each day I can feel myself getting stronger.”

Esther’s eyes widened as she looked at Micah with awe, her fork frozen halfway to her mouth.  Micah couldn’t see his father, but he could hear the man choking as he tried to intervene before their mother got a chance to respond.

Unsuccessfully.

“TREVOR BERNARD SILVER,” even expecting it, Micah winced at the explosion.  “Your brother threw aside a PERFECTLY GOOD apprenticeship because he idolizes you.”

Micah struggled to keep his face neutral while Trevor looked like a dog stuck outside during a thunderstorm.

“Here you sit at my dinner table,” her eyes flashed.  “Eating the food that I slavishly prepared for your younger brother’s birthday.”

Micah’s eyes flicked to the salad she’d slammed down in front of him wordlessly before serving a proper meal to the rest of the family.

“All the while,” she continued, her voice building to a crescendo while her husband tried to interject.  “You’ve been putting your younger brother at risk.  Forcing him to fight monsters without a blessing or status.  He could be hurt or killed while you play your games.  You should be ashamed of yourself.”

“Mom,” Trevor’s eyes were pleading with Micah.  “It’s not like that!  Micah knows what he’s doing.  He’s the one that’s teaching me how to fight!”

“Do you seriously expect to push this onto your younger brother on his fourteenth birthday?” Her voice quieted dangerously.

“Who wants pie?” Their father stood up, a bit of a nervous smile on his face.  “Your mother made an apple pie this afternoon and the smell has been taunting me all day.  How about we change the subject and have some pleasant time together as a family instead.”

Electricity practically crackled across the room.  Trevor did his best to hide himself while Esther’s gaze moved from parent to parent, her mouth half open as she tried to process what was happening.

“Jon,” it was only one word, but the way his mother said it positively dripped with warning.  At some point her hair had come undone.  Her breath was coming in erratic gasps.

“Veronica,” their father replied, squaring his shoulders subtly as he prepared to stand his ground.  “You always complain about how the kids are never home.  I know you’re concerned about them, but you need to calm down.  They’re both going to be adventurers.  Micah and Trevor will have to face down danger every single day.  Even if you want to protect them, you can’t.  At some point you’re just going to have to rely upon them to handle themselves.”

“But Micah’s so young-” she deflated like a balloon, her righteous anger flowing out of her as she wilted under his words.

“Micah,” his father turned to him, tone leaving no room for games.  “Tell your mother that you’re being careful.  You know that she worries about you, and don’t think that I haven’t noticed that you’re playing some sort of prank on Trevor.  Your mom might be too worked up to notice that half-smirk on your face, but I’ve been around you boys long enough to know what’s happening.”

“It’s fine mom,” Micah gave in, letting his mischievous smile blossom across his face.  “I’ve been fighting monsters with Trevor, but it isn’t anything we can’t handle.  He’s been really cautious about picking our fights.  If anything, you could almost say that it’s me pushing him.”

“Almost?” Trevor hissed, shaking his head at Micah.  “Like how you almost pushed us into fighting the night wasps?”  

“Stop picking on your brother,” Veronica spoke absently before sighing and sharing a meaningful glance with her husband.  “I think it’s about time for that pie.  I want the boys to be safe but…”

She took a deep shuddering breath, closing her eyes to center herself.  For a second no one spoke.  Then she let the air back out, opening her eyes as she smiled weakly.

“I’m sorry,” her voice was quieter, almost a whisper.  “I don’t like to admit it, but Jon is right.  I’m upset that the two of you aren’t spending as much time at home as I’m used to, and it’s causing me to lash out.  I understand that it isn’t helping anything, but I can’t help myself.”

“I think we just need to just focus on having a good afternoon,” she smiled wanly.  “Micah and Trevor are home, and that’s what really matters.”

“We?” their father raised an eyebrow at Veronica as he crossed his arms.

“Fine,” she replied with a laugh as she walked over to a cabinet to retrieve the pie. “Me.  I need to lighten up.  Now stop pushing your luck and enjoy the pie.”

“So Daddy and you aren’t getting a divorce?” Esther asked, wide eyed, as their mother set a plate of pie down in front of her.

“What!” Jon interjected, a cup of water halfway to his mouth before he broke into a coughing fit.  “How in the name of the Sixteen do you know what a divorce is young lady?”

“Debby’s mom is mad that her dad lost his job and didn’t tell her,” Esther nodded sagely, a forkful of apple pie traveling to her mouth.  “Her mom is upset because instead of going to work each day, he went to some rose petal place.  Apparently they got in a big fight about it now Debby might get to live with her grandparents!”

“Dave lost his job?”  Jon asked, cocking his head slightly, his hand poised just above his plate.  “I suppose Michelle would be pretty angry if he wasn’t bringing in any attunement and was spending what little they had at the Rose Petal House.”

“So you know its full name,” their mother’s gaze zeroed in on their father like a hawk that had spotted prey.  “Strange how much you know about Basil’s Cove’s most famous brothel.”

“Veronica,” the word was a question.  Trevor and Micah made eye contact, both wisely opting to remain silent.  “You know that I sew the costumes for the girls,” their dad continued.  “Of course I know some of the details of their business.  I have to in order to do my job.”

“No,” their mother’s voice had an edge to it that could cut iron.  “I didn’t know that you made costumes for ‘the girls.’  I didn’t know you knew anything about ‘the girls.’  I especially didn’t know that you were close enough with them to simply refer to them as ‘the girls.’  I am finding this conversation very informative.”

“Dinner was great,” Micah stood up, ignoring the mostly full plate of pie in front of him, “but I should probably get going, Trevor and I have to talk about our training regime for the weekend.”

“Uh,” Trevor nodded quickly, frantically trying to swallow the mouthful of pie he was chewing on you.  “Yeah, we should probably get out of your hair so we can get to that.”

“There’s no-” their father began only to be interrupted by their mom.

“Why don’t you take Esther with you,” her eyes tried to burn a hole through their father’s chest.  “Your Dad and I have a lot to talk about.”