per admirabilem ascensionem tuam

[jovahs_heiress]

Peninnah is now five, and her wingspan should be sufficient to carry her aloft; she's just having a little trouble with the necessary coordination. Isabella has worked with her, and so has Rinnah, but Peninnah is impatient and has given up on both of them in favor of asking Damaris for help, on the poorly articulated theory that Damaris, at age thirteen, is closer to Peninnah's own size and might make more sense.

Comments

[yovahs_kisses]

"There's plenty of people around who know you're the furthest thing from gross," he says. "Me. Your mother. Your sisters."

[inherpiety]

"Well," says Keziah, "yeah, but - it would still be pretty bad if everybody else thought it."

[yovahs_kisses]

"Yeah," he agrees. "Or even if only some of them did."

[inherpiety]

"Yeah." She takes the pillow off her head and is somewhat more audible when she says, "So maybe I shouldn't tell her. I think I maybe like boys, and mortals, too."

[yovahs_kisses]

"It wouldn't ruin your whole life, though," he says. "If you did tell her, even if the rest of the hold did decide you were gross for a while. It might feel that way, but in a few years hardly anybody would care."

[inherpiety]

"Years is a long time, and I'm scared."

[yovahs_kisses]

"I know," he says. "These things are scary. Want a hug?"

[inherpiety]

"Yeah." She sits up enough to hug him.

[yovahs_kisses]

Hugs.

"I'm sorry it's all so complicated," he says. "Someday, no one will think it's gross for a girl to love a girl or an angel to love an angel."

[inherpiety]

"Nobody at all?"

[yovahs_kisses]

"Not any more than anybody thinks it's gross for me to love your mom."

[inherpiety]

"Only when you get mushy," says Keziah.

[yovahs_kisses]

He grins unrepentantly.

[inherpiety]

She squirms. "I dunno what I wanna do."

[yovahs_kisses]

"Then maybe you just wanna think about it for a while," he suggests. "Until you figure it out."

[inherpiety]

"Yeah," decides Keziah. "I think I'll do that."

[yovahs_kisses]

"Sounds like a plan to me."

He hugs her again.

"Good luck."

[inherpiety]

"Thanks, Daddy."

[yovahs_kisses]

"Anytime, precious."

[inherpiety]

So Keziah doesn't say anything, and thinks, and doesn't get much of anywhere, and continues to be flusteredly friendly when she sees Junia at music lessons or in the cafeteria or around the Eyrie.

[pythbox]

And then...

Junia is becoming increasingly unhappy and distracted.

One day, someone asks her if she wants to go down to Velora next week, and she blushes and ducks her head and says, "I will not be here."

"...What?"

"I am leaving the hold," says Junia, and she rushes off, golden wings fluttering.

[inherpiety]

Keziah doesn't finish her dessert; she runs after Junia. "Junia?"

[pythbox]

Junia slows down slightly and looks awkwardly over her shoulder.

"Um, yes?"

[inherpiety]

"Why are you leaving? Are you going to another hold?"

[pythbox]

"I am going - away," says Junia. "For. Reasons."