All Hail the Shifter King
Title: Surprise, Part II (Holiday Story 2014)
Word Count: 964
Notes: Because I'm totally incapable of writing these two without someone's feelings getting hurt, here's a smaller second part for the Holiday Story. I'm kind of sad that I didn't manage to finish this before 2014 ended but adjusting to new painkillers and satisfying my knitting addiction made it awfully hard to write.
He'd packed all of the distractions she normally took when she was going somewhere with him - her camera, her iPod, one of her battered Sudoku books, her field notebook, and four or five novels from Eli's library. It wasn't that she tried to ignore him, but more that Ryder wasn't much of one for talking and trying to have any sort of conversation with him made the hours stretch out into eternity, so rather than try and possibly annoy both of them she cracked open one of the novels and started reading. Months ago she'd gotten motion sick even attempting to read while the Jeep bounced along the dirt roads, but like everything else in her strange new life she'd grown accustomed to it, so she skimmed through an old detective story while keeping her attention half-focused out the window for anything worth taking pictures of. Mostly, though, it was the pressing forest on both sides as they headed south, deep into Tesairen territory. When her stomach began to rumble its complaints at being denied breakfast, Ryder directed her to a cooler in the footwell behind her where she found sliced fresh mango and bottles of water, and as she enjoyed the sweet fruit she folded the book in her lap and twisted in her seat so she could look at him.
"Were you close to your parents?" she asked. He glanced briefly at her, obviously confused.
"Excuse me?" he asked.
"Your parents. Were you close to them?"
"Dare I ask what brought this up?"
"I told you, I've been thinking this morning."
"About your parents."
"Yes, and now I want to know about yours," she said, trying to keep her voice even despite how she was bristling at his obvious attempts to dodge her question.
"Why do you want to know?"
"I'm curious."
He glanced at her again, longer this time, studying her face the way he always did when he was trying to discern her motive. For once, though, she was just genuinely curious, and after a few seconds he seemed to realize it. Sighing heavily, he rolled his eyes and turned his attention back to the road.
"No," he said finally.
"Why not?"
"My parents were very preoccupied with their positions in the Clan. It didn't leave much time for other things."
"Even being parents?"
"Especially that."
She thought about that a moment, looking down at her hands. Even with the chaotic nature of her parents' careers, they'd always had time for her. She tried to imagine an upbringing where she came second to their professions and the thought was simply too depressing.
"Why are you moping again?" Ryder asked suddenly.
"I feel bad for you," she replied honestly. He just chuckled.
"I don't see why," he said. "It was for the best, really."
"How?"
"Our Clan saw our mortal lives as a sort of stopping point on our way to a greater calling," he told her. "Why bother spending the time and effort on familial ties when it just makes everything more difficult in the end?"
"So your parents neglected you on purpose? That doesn't exactly make it better."
"No, they were helping ease the transition." He slowed slightly as some sort of gangly, ape-like creature loped across the road, then picked up speed again. "All parents expected their children to be chosen. Having them burdened by ties to a family they couldn't have anymore just weakened them."
"But not everyone was chosen, were they?"
"No."
"So their parents ignored them for nothing."
"If they weren't good enough to be chosen, they didn't deserve their parent's love."
His comment made her widen her eyes in shock, and she slumped against the chair, staring at him. He glanced over and, seeing her expression, sighed again.
"We should change the subject," he said evenly.
"Wow," she said finally. "I just... wow. You actually believe that?"
"I said, we should -"
"Don't you think kids are more likely to achieve their potential if they're nurtured and encouraged? Good parenting helps them develop into good human beings, it gives them the confidence to do great things, it -"
"Achieve potential? Do great things?" He lifted his hands from the steering wheel and surrounded the second question with air quotes for emphasis, then laughed cynically. "This coming from someone who quit writing her dissertation because of some negative feedback. Where was your confidence then?"
The question was a sucker punch - Katrina opened and closed her mouth, too shocked and hurt to be angry, her challenging attitude evaporating as quickly as her argument.
"I..." She felt herself shrinking in her chair, and crossed her arms in front of her before she twisted and looked out the window. "You're right," she said softly. "We should change the subject."
"Galileo spent very little time with his parents, you know," Ryder told her, obviously not willing to let it drop just yet. "And he pursued his ambitions just fine."
"He wasn't trying to prove that sentient roses exist," Katrina retorted.
"Oh, right, sorry. Nothing as serious as that. Just, you know, that the Earth wasn't the center of the universe, that's all." She thought she heard amusement in his voice, and when she dared glanced over, he caught her eyes and gave her a genuine, albeit slightly know-it-all smile. "I think he was facing considerably more adversity."
"If you're trying to make me feel better about getting laughed out of my graduate program, you're -"
"I'm pointing out that your 'parents are everything' statement is flawed."
"By insulting me?"
"It's not my fault you did something so stupid."
"Thanks. Really."
"You have to admit, it -"
"Just stop, okay?" she asked, holding up her hand to stop him. "Do me a favor and just stop talking."
Word Count: 964
Notes: Because I'm totally incapable of writing these two without someone's feelings getting hurt, here's a smaller second part for the Holiday Story. I'm kind of sad that I didn't manage to finish this before 2014 ended but adjusting to new painkillers and satisfying my knitting addiction made it awfully hard to write.
He'd packed all of the distractions she normally took when she was going somewhere with him - her camera, her iPod, one of her battered Sudoku books, her field notebook, and four or five novels from Eli's library. It wasn't that she tried to ignore him, but more that Ryder wasn't much of one for talking and trying to have any sort of conversation with him made the hours stretch out into eternity, so rather than try and possibly annoy both of them she cracked open one of the novels and started reading. Months ago she'd gotten motion sick even attempting to read while the Jeep bounced along the dirt roads, but like everything else in her strange new life she'd grown accustomed to it, so she skimmed through an old detective story while keeping her attention half-focused out the window for anything worth taking pictures of. Mostly, though, it was the pressing forest on both sides as they headed south, deep into Tesairen territory. When her stomach began to rumble its complaints at being denied breakfast, Ryder directed her to a cooler in the footwell behind her where she found sliced fresh mango and bottles of water, and as she enjoyed the sweet fruit she folded the book in her lap and twisted in her seat so she could look at him.
"Were you close to your parents?" she asked. He glanced briefly at her, obviously confused.
"Excuse me?" he asked.
"Your parents. Were you close to them?"
"Dare I ask what brought this up?"
"I told you, I've been thinking this morning."
"About your parents."
"Yes, and now I want to know about yours," she said, trying to keep her voice even despite how she was bristling at his obvious attempts to dodge her question.
"Why do you want to know?"
"I'm curious."
He glanced at her again, longer this time, studying her face the way he always did when he was trying to discern her motive. For once, though, she was just genuinely curious, and after a few seconds he seemed to realize it. Sighing heavily, he rolled his eyes and turned his attention back to the road.
"No," he said finally.
"Why not?"
"My parents were very preoccupied with their positions in the Clan. It didn't leave much time for other things."
"Even being parents?"
"Especially that."
She thought about that a moment, looking down at her hands. Even with the chaotic nature of her parents' careers, they'd always had time for her. She tried to imagine an upbringing where she came second to their professions and the thought was simply too depressing.
"Why are you moping again?" Ryder asked suddenly.
"I feel bad for you," she replied honestly. He just chuckled.
"I don't see why," he said. "It was for the best, really."
"How?"
"Our Clan saw our mortal lives as a sort of stopping point on our way to a greater calling," he told her. "Why bother spending the time and effort on familial ties when it just makes everything more difficult in the end?"
"So your parents neglected you on purpose? That doesn't exactly make it better."
"No, they were helping ease the transition." He slowed slightly as some sort of gangly, ape-like creature loped across the road, then picked up speed again. "All parents expected their children to be chosen. Having them burdened by ties to a family they couldn't have anymore just weakened them."
"But not everyone was chosen, were they?"
"No."
"So their parents ignored them for nothing."
"If they weren't good enough to be chosen, they didn't deserve their parent's love."
His comment made her widen her eyes in shock, and she slumped against the chair, staring at him. He glanced over and, seeing her expression, sighed again.
"We should change the subject," he said evenly.
"Wow," she said finally. "I just... wow. You actually believe that?"
"I said, we should -"
"Don't you think kids are more likely to achieve their potential if they're nurtured and encouraged? Good parenting helps them develop into good human beings, it gives them the confidence to do great things, it -"
"Achieve potential? Do great things?" He lifted his hands from the steering wheel and surrounded the second question with air quotes for emphasis, then laughed cynically. "This coming from someone who quit writing her dissertation because of some negative feedback. Where was your confidence then?"
The question was a sucker punch - Katrina opened and closed her mouth, too shocked and hurt to be angry, her challenging attitude evaporating as quickly as her argument.
"I..." She felt herself shrinking in her chair, and crossed her arms in front of her before she twisted and looked out the window. "You're right," she said softly. "We should change the subject."
"Galileo spent very little time with his parents, you know," Ryder told her, obviously not willing to let it drop just yet. "And he pursued his ambitions just fine."
"He wasn't trying to prove that sentient roses exist," Katrina retorted.
"Oh, right, sorry. Nothing as serious as that. Just, you know, that the Earth wasn't the center of the universe, that's all." She thought she heard amusement in his voice, and when she dared glanced over, he caught her eyes and gave her a genuine, albeit slightly know-it-all smile. "I think he was facing considerably more adversity."
"If you're trying to make me feel better about getting laughed out of my graduate program, you're -"
"I'm pointing out that your 'parents are everything' statement is flawed."
"By insulting me?"
"It's not my fault you did something so stupid."
"Thanks. Really."
"You have to admit, it -"
"Just stop, okay?" she asked, holding up her hand to stop him. "Do me a favor and just stop talking."