Falling Falling Stars

30 - Parameters

Note: You know a weirdly serious concern of mine is running out of words for these chapter titles because I doomed myself by picking single words but also like, I'm not going to run out of words, dictionaries go off with a whole list of 'em.

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Isabelle was outside for the day. Efnisien started to protest, but Arden only smiled and shook his head.

'No, she has a bone, trust me, she doesn't want to come inside, and she's not allowed to have the really meaty ones inside because that was the summer we had maggots!'

Efnisien stared at him and Arden laughed.

'Dogs are like that sometimes,' he said. 'All right, let's do this at the table. As much as I'd like to lie down on the couch with you, it's going to be a bit too distracting, and I want us firing on all cylinders. Or most of our cylinders, anyway. What do you want to drink?'

'Um, water, please,' Efnisien said. He thought about saying he didn't want anything, but knew that Arden would probably get him something anyway. And his mouth did get dry sometimes and it was good to have the water there.

'Great, I also have snacks. I really wish something like this didn't take so long, but it kind of needs to. Honestly, if this was a one off scene with someone, it'd be really stripped down, but this is... I mean you're new to everything,' Arden said as he poured cold water from the fridge into two glasses. 'That and you're coming with a fuckton of baggage that means I'm sort of going to have to dictionary my way through some of these things. A lot of newbies still have a pretty basic idea, from like, fantasy books or porn or stuff. Your foundation is really not that.'

He brought the glasses over and went back to the cupboard, bringing out different items. A box of savoury rosemary and cheese crackers, a packet of dried mixed nuts, another of dried fruit – which Efnisien promised himself he wouldn't eat even though he really wanted to – and came over with everything precariously balanced on his arms.

Crielle would have had the food pre-made, sometimes catered. She would have had food on fancy ceramic plates and platters, there would have been guest-specific cutlery. Arden dumped the box of crackers and everything else on the table. He opened the box and shoved it towards Efnisien.

Eventually Efnisien reached for one of the macadamia nuts in the other packet. He hadn't had one in over three years.

'Okay, so,' Arden said, staring at his tablet and scrolling down the screen. 'Oh boy. I'm used to teaching classes of beginners, and I'm used to newbies, but... But this is new! So I might miss something, or forget something, and if something doesn't make sense to you, tell me, okay?'

'Okay,' Efnisien said.

'Are you comfortable, at least?'

Efnisien pressed his lips together. He really wanted to be on the couch. The table felt weirdly formal, and he knew this was important, but he already had a low-key stomach-ache, and he didn't want it to get worse.

'Not comfortable?' Arden said.

'Feels like an exam,' Efnisien said. 'I know we can't sit on the couch, but like...'

'What about the floor?'

Efnisien blinked and then shrugged, and Arden sprang up and took all the food with him and placed that on the circular red rug by the television. Then he pulled all the throw cushions off the couches – at that point Efnisien had thought to grab the two glasses of water – and was piling them onto the floor. He had a lot of cushions, Efnisien had never noticed before.

'Come join me,' Arden said, sitting cross legged and rocking side to side with what must have been excess energy. 'Your hips are okay, aren't they? I gave you more cushions. Do you have any problems sitting on the floor?'