Blacktail Deer Plateau This is hungry work

Grezig nodded as Kavik spoke. Everything he’d said so far made perfect sense to her, and she heard nothing to disagree with. She smiled for a brief moment when he said he hadn’t wanted to lose her friendship. “I would do anything to prevent that,” she said quietly, and then moved on quickly before this whole situation grew too sappy for her. 

“Of course we will tell them who their father is. I would explain it as best I could as they grew older. I suppose they would see Liri as… an aunt, perhaps? That might be easiest.” She shook her head, unsure. “That would imply that she and I were siblings, but if we were clear that it was only a title, I think they would understand. As for how to bring it up to her…” Grezig sighed. “Honesty is the best policy, as they say. We could… or you could call a meeting between the three of us.” Grezig imagined this meeting in her mind. “Sit near her, not me, so it doesn’t look like we’re… ganging up on her.” She paused, trying to think of the words to say. “Tell her… tell her you love her. Make that very clear. And then you and I, together, would explain that I want children of my own, but that you seem to be the only available male—aside from Corvus.”

Here, she paused. “I suppose I could simply ask Corvus first.” It was a thought she’d had a long time ago, but not recently. “Perhaps we could avoid all this awkwardness in the first place if he agreed to help me. That way you would not have to risk your relationship with Liri.” Grezig wondered what it said about her—and her relationship with Kavik—that she’d asked him first, and not even thought of Corvus until afterwards. Perhaps there was an inkling of a romantic feeling in there somewhere, after all… That thought was… unsettling.