[OTA] Hi-ho, Silver! (Watch out for the small dog)

[headfollowheart]

This is not the sight she expected to greet her when she headed to Town with Sirona to settle her back in at the repaired Town stables, and somehow she hadn't been surprised to see her cousin (or last bastion of testosterone, as he liked to refer to himself) sitting on a fence post and laughing and snapping pictures. Probably she should have told him to get Collin out of the ring and stop harassing poor Christabel, who's supposed to be living a quiet retired life.

She decides instead to whack him lightly on the back of the head and take Sirona out on the trails, riding between the Castles and out towards the new oceanic addition before finally heading back into Town.

Comments

[headfollowheart]

It's a moment before she answers, because it's sort of a...strange situation, and Zoe nibbles on her lower lip. "It doesn't matter to me," she says finally. "I don't think it really matters to Uncle Lucien and Aunt Olivia, either, or wouldn't if he seemed happy at Five. But he doesn't seem happy, and he was always pretty ambitious."

She shrugs a little. She doesn't realize it, but probably her aunt and uncle are addressing a symptom more than a problem. Focusing on rank because they don't know what to do with their occasionally listless son, who's suddenly embraced slackerdom.

[grrranimals]

"Takes a lot out when you lose." The Deck was full of people who'd never recovered. She thinks a bit. "It was a music challenge, wasn't it?"

[headfollowheart]

She's never lost. Losing would have been unthinkable. "Mm. Music composition, for the guitar." Which was, of course, what he'd studied. "Then chess after that."

[grrranimals]

She tries to imagine losing at a board game and can't. "Don't know about you, but if Mum bugged me to challenge, I'd plant my heels and do just the opposite." She laughs. "But Mum would tell you I never do what she wants anyway."

Name, provide even more grandbabies.

[headfollowheart]

"...Like, for instance, switching to the absolute opposite Suit instead of throwing your hat in the ring for Jack or Ace?" Zoe looks a little rueful; maybe she didn't think of it that way because Aunt Olivia is virtually Charlotte's opposite. "I guess I haven't thought about it that way before."

[grrranimals]

"You've got me. Most definitely like. Whether they fret for love or ambition, the result can be the same. Dillon's mum worries about him I bet. I think they don't give out the mum card until you learn to do that. So, maybe he says everything's fine so he doesn't worry her or maybe he just gets stupidly stubborn. Like me."

She shrugs. "Or maybe it's something else entirely. Love trouble?"

[headfollowheart]

"I don't think he's had time to date since he got home from school." Her tone is dry and a little amused. "There's been a lot of time and effort expended in telling me what a terrible, horrible idea Victor Fox is."

Though at this point, he seemed to have resigned himself somewhat.

"I don't know. Boys are dumb sometimes."

[grrranimals]

"Especially when they're related. Maybe he just needs some space. He's a big boy. Speaking of boys, your wedding's coming on fast, isn't it?"

[headfollowheart]

She blows out a breath. "Almost three weeks," she says. As in, not quite three weeks. "You'd think that since I'm not throwing one of those gala balls concealed as a wedding, there wouldn't be so much to do. And you'd be so very, very wrong."

[grrranimals]

"I most definitely would not think that. Been maid of honor at three of the damn things and bridesmaid in four--no, five--more. You're at the 'I just wish this was over with' stage, then?"

[headfollowheart]

"Exactly. It was fun, oh, in January, when we were looking at dresses and shoes and flowers. Then it was insane, and now I'm wondering why I didn't just suggest to Victor that we just schedule the ceremony and tell people afterwards."

She has a feeling he'd be perfectly fine with that, honestly.