"Until then," Cassandra says, coming near and holding Percy's cane out to him, "it's good to have a sister - even a secret one."
Percy takes his cane and takes a careful step back, letting go of Vex's hand so Cassandra can embrace her and kiss her cheek. It occurs to him for the first time that this may be something special for his sister, too. She was even more alone than he, when the Briarwoods ruled Whitestone; even now, there are gaps between them he hasn't yet been able to bridge. Cassandra is so much quieter than she used to be, and she keeps her own counsel more often than not.
Vex could be a confidante for her, he thinks. A sister in more than name or technicality, someone who might be able to hear the things Cassandra can't bring herself to say to Percy.
(He thinks of Vesper, refusing to let himself wonder what indignity her final resting place might have involved. He thinks of the girl she was, the woman she could have been. He misses her -all of them, but especially his elder sister - with a sudden, fierce longing.)
He slips a finger behind the lenses of his glasses and swipes at his eyes quickly. As Cassandra lets Vex go, he says, "I hope you'll stay for supper with us, Keeper Yennen. I'm sure they could set an extra place."
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timeasmymeasure
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Date: 2025-01-13 03:20 pm (UTC)Percy takes his cane and takes a careful step back, letting go of Vex's hand so Cassandra can embrace her and kiss her cheek. It occurs to him for the first time that this may be something special for his sister, too. She was even more alone than he, when the Briarwoods ruled Whitestone; even now, there are gaps between them he hasn't yet been able to bridge. Cassandra is so much quieter than she used to be, and she keeps her own counsel more often than not.
Vex could be a confidante for her, he thinks. A sister in more than name or technicality, someone who might be able to hear the things Cassandra can't bring herself to say to Percy.
(He thinks of Vesper, refusing to let himself wonder what indignity her final resting place might have involved. He thinks of the girl she was, the woman she could have been. He misses her -all of them, but especially his elder sister - with a sudden, fierce longing.)
He slips a finger behind the lenses of his glasses and swipes at his eyes quickly. As Cassandra lets Vex go, he says, "I hope you'll stay for supper with us, Keeper Yennen. I'm sure they could set an extra place."