ota {behind the mirror}

[holdsmyheart]

He's only meant to close his eyes for a minute, maybe five. But, he'd worked till well after sundown yesterday, then had come Donia Carruthers and her emergency stroke, which had seen him up all night long, getting the woman stable and trying to calm her distraught husband, and by then, adrenaline and coffee had rendered him unable to sleep, so back to his office he went.

And the agenda was full: a meeting with Rowan regarding the security issues involving the other Suits, the conversation with Mano about the h/vac system in the Castle as well as the planning and organization of a possible summer luau for the entire Deck, and countless other little details scrawled into his calendar. But somewhere around mid-morning, Theo's eyes just refused to stay open and he unconsciously leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes, slipping into a doze before he realized it.

Just a minute. Just five minutes. That's all.

Comments

[holdsmyheart]

Theo understood; he nodded. "I'm glad. We've yet to attain those resources, something I mean to rectify just as soon as possible." It was on his Kingly To-Do list, the big one.

"How're your sisters holding up?"

[dreamsofwords]

"We can't have everything," Alasdair said. Maybe he'd just come to terms with that. "It's a small place, the Deck. We can't stuff New York into it, as much as it would sometimes be convenient."

As for his sisters, well. "Better." It was true, in the main. "Mads and Amelia are still taking it the hardest. Bea's hard to read, really."

[holdsmyheart]

"No, but we can procure as much as we can, especially when it's becoming more increasingly necessary." But that was a discussion for later.

"I know it's rough," he said sincerely, "and I'd be lying if I said it gets any easier as time goes on. But you know we're all here for you and your family, don't hesitate to ask if you need anything."

Not just empty platitudes; he meant every word.

[dreamsofwords]

A cancer specialist would probably be more important first, but Alasdair wasn't a doctor. He was a teacher, and one who'd never particularly excelled at science.

He just nodded, though, because what was there to be said, really?

"I did have something else," he said, "about one of my students."

His parents, in actuality.

[holdsmyheart]

One of Theo's eyebrows went up.

"Oh?" He leaned back in his chair with a nod. "By all means, go ahead."

[dreamsofwords]

Alasdair scratches the bridge of his nose and sighs a bit. "Aiden Buckley," he says after a moment. "He's just turned fifteen."

They all knew what fifteen meant in the Deck. "His parents are ambitious for him, I believe, and as a result, they've pulled him out of some of his classes for martial training. It wouldn't be a problem if they were supplementing with tutoring, but..." He shrugs. "Currently he's taking biology, chemistry, and trigonometry, but those of us in the liberal arts have been abandoned." It's not the first time it's happened, of course, but usually it's not their Suit.

[holdsmyheart]

One of Theo's eyebrows went up. "Are they planning to switch Suits, that you know of?" It'd make sense, if they were intending on doing so; the other Suits were a touch more "hands-on" when it came to education.

[dreamsofwords]

"Don't think so," he said. "But...just because it's less common here, doesn't mean it doesn't happen." The other Suits didn't have a monopoly on ambition, after all.

"But if they're going to do it, I'm not going to stand aside and see him get left at a disadvantage in later years, just because they didn't find the humanities applicable. He needs to get a tutor or get back in classes."

The problem, of course, was that Alasdair was only a Six.

[holdsmyheart]

"No, you're right. I agree." Theo was a huge advocate of education; he considered self-defense and physical ability a part of curriculum, but not at the expense of other subjects.

He scribbled a note on his memo pad, along with a few shorthand details and glanced up at Alasdair over his glasses. "I'll take care of it," he assured the other Heart.

[dreamsofwords]

Not everyone saw it that way; Alasdair had had more arguments over it than one might expect, even with Judith. But then, Judith had been a fan of her hammer.

"I appreciate it," he said as he got up. "One less thing to think about, you know?"

[holdsmyheart]

Theo nodded. "Absolutely. I appreciate you bringing it to my attention, Alasdair." The King gave a smile and a cordial nod of farewell. "Give your mother my best, and let her know she can call on me anytime, for whatever reason. Door's always open."

[dreamsofwords]

He runs a hand through his hair and nods. "I'll tell her," he said with a faint smile. "Thanks for the time, Your Majesty. I appreciate it."