Page 158 of Rose and Shadows
“Thank you,wild one.”
“After that, though, Lazriel needs to attend to his assignment,” I told them.
“I thought you’d been working on that all morning?” Velra queried. “Is it harder than you thought? Do you need help? I can—”
“No,” I cut in. “It’s a focus issue.” If she offered to help, he’d get distracted even more—in her.
“You have my readings to do for the next class,” Cassius told him. “To help you regain your focus, it could be helpful to concentrate on those, then move back to the assignment for Voxe’s class.”
Ketheron burst into the room, the floor reverberating with his heavy footsteps—something he applied when he was either excitable or upset.
“I can read the required text sections for you and provide a detailed summary to save you time,” he offered Lazriel.
“No,” I told Ketheron. “That’s really kind of youandvery helpful, but this is something Lazriel needs to attend to himself.”
“Oh. Okay.” He winced at Lazriel. “Sorry, friend.”
Lazriel grunted at me, then smiled out at Ketheron. “Thanks, Keth. Do you have the bear’s eye? I can sew it back on for you.”
Ketheron’s eyes lit up. “That would be great. I was planning to absorb a book on sewing, but this will be better.” He tapped his chin. “Perhaps I will still add it to my list of skills to master, though, and commence readings later on regardless.”
“That sounds like a good idea,” Cassius encouraged him.
Ketheron pulled the button eye from his charcoal hoodie pocket and handed it over to Lazriel.
Cassius made a move to toss the bear over.
“No!” Ketheron cried out.
Cassius started. “He will not be harmed, Ketheron. Lazriel also has miraculous reflexes so he will not hit the ground anyway.”
When Ketheron still looked uncomfortable despite the reassurances, Velra smiled and eased the bear from Cassius’ grip, then walked to Lazriel and handed it over carefully.
Cassius went to Ketheron and I heard him whispering apologies about the bear, with Ketheron nodding and smiling in acceptance, before he nuzzled against him for a moment.
Lazriel rose to his feet with the bear and the eye, telling us, “I have a sewing kit in my duffel bag upstairs. Be right back.”
“Wait,” Ketheron called.
Lazriel eyed him in question.
“I… I heard you talking about baby names. My bear… he’s never had a name. May I use one of yours—one you don’t intend to use for the baby?”
“Sure. Which one do you like the sound of?”
“Maximus.His visitors could call himMaxfor short.”
“Go for it,” Lazriel told him.
“Thank you,” he said, walking to Lazriel and stroking the bear’s golden head.
“Baby names?” Velra spoke. “I thought we agreed to do that together?”
I chuckled at the very real fear in her eyes of Lazriel being the sole one to settle on a baby name and get so attached to it that none of us would be able to take it back.
“Just throwing some out there,” Lazriel told her.
“Really?” she questioned. “Just?”
