("Borrowed") OWL: To Seti Vector

[shh_avery]

Date: 25 November 2004
Characters: Seti Vector & Julian Avery
Location: Their respective homes.
Status: Private
Summary: Julian has been a bad Habibi lately. He owes his wonderful, beautiful, wise and witty cousine an owl. Please don't box him about the ears.
Completion: Incomplete

Comments

[shh_avery]

A different - yet no less irritated - owl delivered the next letter Seti received, later into the day.

Sweetest Habibti,

Thank you for your reply, and for indulging me with these sporadic correspondences. Yes, it's almost dismaying, the way things are changing around us. I hope you don't find me a retiring coward, but since coming to Stoatshead Hill, life has sometimes moved at a nearly frightening pace. One moment, I find myself alone in my self-pity, thinking about Carolyn and wondering about what could have been. After only a couple of months here, I now find myself concerned with business ventures and romance again. I still go every morning to the shelters, looking for my wife. I miss her and love her, as she was my best friend.

But I find her position on my list of priorities is slipping. Does that make me a bad friend, my cousine?

Lords, I don't know where that came from. I apologise about that embarrassing little philosophical outburst. Lately I've been rather distracted and prone to moments of intense retrospection. I'm not sure what could be causing that, outside of a general need to take stock of this quickly changing world. Perhaps it's old age maturity finally exerting its influence on me. Anyway, Sunday evening sounds wonderful. How about you come over for dinner at 7:30? I don't recall if I told you where my building is, but I live at 5th and D street. Really, you can't miss my building, as it's the only one standing.

I have extremely well-organised debris, however, for all of the destruction around it.

What's this about teaching?

Most Certainly With Love,
Rives

[shh_vector]

Seti read through her darling cousin's latest correspondence and sighed. How was she supposed to know about things like absent wives.

When was it enough? When do you give up on your best friend? It was a question that haunted Seti, and even now, 25 years later and with him back in her life, she still felt a crushing guilt for having given up on him. Oh, she knew he didn't blame her. But it didn't erase the guilt.

She picked up a quill and parchment to reply.

Darling,

I am very much looking forward to dinner with you, and I can't wait to share all the news. You're right things have been going at quite a clip... I have a lot to tell you.

I don't know what to say about Carolyn. I wish I could offer you some sage advice, but I fear it is well beyond my experience level. But I'm happy to listen, if you need and ear... or a shoulder.

As for the teaching, well, I will be temporarily instructing at the new Day School in the field of Astronomy. Not my forte, but... well... I am not terribly concerned, either. It will be good to teach again. Although I fear I have changed so much that it will feel like trying to go back in time. I fear that I'm in a bit of a melancholy mood, cousin. Forgive my morose behavior.

I am sure I will have no trouble finding our lodgings and will see you at 7:30.

Love Always,

Seti