It was hailing. The chill of midwinter on Helix-One certainly did not pull its punches. Sio watched the gloomy day outside as she sat by the window in the dining room. It had been a long couple of weeks since the arrival of Kivtius. Auburn had prepared a soup for the family to eat, but Sio wasn't feeling particularly hungry at the moment. It anchored on her mind the happenings of the village. First she finds the mines her family perished in were sabotaged, then a strange Geminidi claims she is an astérthan, that same Geminidi found only a day later on the brink of death, and finally Lurio accepting her into his household. It was strange, and she could not help but feel that something connected all of these events.
She had asked the adults what their thoughts were on the matter, and they shunned her, saying that it would be better if she did not know. But was being anxious truly better? Sio did not think so. Her family always treated her as an ally in their dealings; to be left out was new and frustrating, to say the least. Her mother always told her her thoughts, even when she disagreed with her father. Grandmother was especially vocal, and she loved to hear what they all had to say. And of course, they wanted to hear her opinions.
What could they protect her from that she did not already experience? Sio did not know. She felt the worst had already happened, she did not understand why. So Sio sat and waited. There was nothing to do besides. She wondered if going to Laura's would help. Making up her mind, she stood from her place at the table. Lurio and Auburn looked at her.
"Is something the matter, little Sio?" Asked Auburn. He was never too angry with Sio when she had her moods, which were plentiful as of late.
"I need to see Laura." Sio said firmly. Lurio had stopped sipping his soup to give a side eye glance at Sio and Auburn, clearly he did not want to get involved, but was curious to see where this would go.
"As you wish, but it is hailing quite badly out there, perhaps it can wait till the weather is clear?" Auburn compromised. Sio sighed heavily. He did have a point. "What do you wish to see her about?"
"Everything." She blurted and at once winced at her candor. Auburn motioned for Sio to sit down and she obeyed. Auburn wasn't a bad fellow, really. Sio simply did not know how to talk to him. He was just so…quiet. And a bit direct. They were a lot alike in that regard, it made it hard to talk. Laura was easier, it was like she could read Sio's mind about things. Having to explain herself all the time made things difficult, Laura knew intuitively just what Sio was feeling. It did not make things easier when Lurio, whose behaivor perplexed Sio as of late, was present. Sio did not like unknowns, and right now Lurio was a big unknown.
"I see." Said Auburn simply. "Well then, let's go once the weather clears up."
Sio sighed again and spun her spoon around the bowl in defeat. She sat and she waited.
"Child," Lurio spoke up after each of them finished their meal. Sio turned to Lurio. "Rewards come to those who are patient."
She did not ask, but Lurio's unwarranted advice rang true. She stood again, this time taking the bowls off the table to wash them in the sink. It was her turn to do so anyway. Auburn went over to the kitchen to pack the soup into smaller containers and then helped Sio rinse out the large pot and clean it. Sio snuck a glance at Lurio who seemed to be contemplating, much in the same way Sio was doing earlier. It must have been the weather. Sio so badly wished to ask Lurio what he was doing, but it never felt right to do so. Lurio, as loudmouthed as he could be, was actually a very reserved man.
Sio settled for sitting in the living area of their shell unit watching Auburn fiddle with his complex diagrams of starship models. She even helped every so often with an insight here and there. Lurio sat and stared, almost like he also was waiting for something.
–
Time proved the cure for harsh weather. Sio, and Auburn decided to get out of their unit into the freezing air. The red dwarf star was on the horizon but there was still enough daytime for pleasantries. Sio followed Auburn closely, not that she needed to. She knew the way to Laura's house like the back of her hand, but ever since there had been attacks on the village, Auburn did not allow Sio to roam around without supervision. Just as well, they were to be master and apprentice soon enough. As soon as Auburn was finished with his mandatory resting period, he would be teaching Sio the ropes of Dunestriding. In truth, Sio was looking forward to learning a trade. It would occupy her thoughts, she realized these past few weeks what damage an idle mind does.
Perhaps that was why Auburn liked his starcraft models so much. It made sense when other things did not. Puzzles could be taken apart but ultimately put back together. Sio hoped it was the same with people. She felt like a missing puzzle piece lately. Laura would help make sense of things, she always did.
They arrived at Laura's shell unit with time to spare. Her children were out and about playing with the new ice that powdered the roads making impressions in the snow and throwing frost at each other. Laura was watching from the sidelines, likely recovering from a previous snow-battle with her children from the looks of it. Her shell-suit was covered in an icey film that slicked off her arms and legs as she walked to meet Auburn and Sio. She opened her arms to Sio, and Sio quickly returned the hug. Auburn merely nodded his head toward Laura in his own polite way.
"Sio! Auburn! What a pleasant surprise. Enjoying the sun?" She gasped through her mask. Her breath was visible in the cold.
"We came to see you. Sio needed to speak with you." Auburn stated matter of factly.
"About…things." Sio muttered. Auburn and Laura looked at Sio expectantly. The children caught sight of Sio and ran to her. They each embraced her and urged her to play with them. Laura spoke up.
"Sio will play with you a little later, okay?" The children groaned, but released Sio from their grasp. "Auburn, will you watch them while Sio and I talk?"
Auburn merely nodded and gathered Laura's kids under his arms leading them to their makeshift snow fort that they had been building. Laura led Sio inside. Sio was greeted with the familiar warmth of Laura's home. They took off their shell suit masks and outer gear in the entryway careful not to get any muddy slosh on the flooring further into the unit. They settled in the living area where two sofas were. It was evident that this was the family's favorite room. Toys were scattered everywhere, jackets and other things were on the end tables and half finished breakfast was sitting on the coffee table. Laura went to clean up the left over dishes. She called over her shoulder.
"Go ahead and sit anywhere, my home is your home."
"Thank you," said Sio. And truly she did feel at home. Laura once done with placing the dishes in the sink sat next to Sio on one of the sofas.
"So," she said nudging Sio with her elbow, "What's the matter?"
"Why is everyone hiding something from me?" She blurted. Laura taken aback, breathed in and let it out slowly, thinking.
"What do you think is being hidden from you?" She replied. Sio stood and started pacing the floor in between the coffee table and the sofa, Laura moved her legs to the side to give her space.
"Algodon's not Algodon anymore, and before that he called me an astérthan like my grandmother, now he calls me Dunestrider and I'm not even truly an apprentice yet. And with everything that's happening I just need to know so many things. Why does Lurio accept me now? Why doesn't Auburn tell me his thoughts on who made the mines collapse? Who is behind all of the bad things that keep happening to our village?"
Sio was rambling. She never spoke so frankly before with anyone except her grandmother, but Laura was a stalwart support and Sio felt the need to open up to someone. Laura reached out to Sio and Sio took her hand and sat down once more.
"Take a breath, Sio." She said gently. Sio did as she was told. "There, now. I understand it must be frustrating to be kept in the dark." Sio nodded. It was. "But there's a good reason for it, I promise. You're young, Sio. Some things a young girl shouldn't be exposed to."
"But my family is gone. And now nothing makes sense anymore." Sio rested her head on Laura's shoulder. Laura was silent for some time. She rubbed Sio's shoulder as she thought.
"You've gone through a lot for someone your age." Laura said slowly. "It makes sense that right now you feel like you shouldn't be treated like a child, I think the others feel like they're trying to save what little childhood you have left."