What had been knocked down could be rebuilt. Not the same as it had been, no, but change did not have to be a bad thing. There was a reason that Hadama chose to gild his scars in gold, etching the lesson of each one indelibly into his skin where he would not forget them.
He had made mistakes but he had survived and was the stronger for them.
Whether Jude would be able to say the same in years to come would be up to the young man, and the time that stretched ahead of him. But Hadama remained quiet, his boundaries as fluid as the tide that surged and crashed nearby, outside the range of his calming magic. He tilted his head, listening to the fierce boasting, and if it sounded very much like Jude might regret such a choice someday, well.
"You are old enough to make your own decisions," he agreed. And then paused, looking thoughtfully down at the rebuilt bridge of ice and starlight. "Old enough that your father could not easily stop you." Old enough to be held accountable for his own actions, rather than for his parents to be blamed more than tangentially. But with luck that particular lesson would not be too harsh in the coming days of the road Jude was choosing.
If he followed through with it, Hadama could not stop him. He looked back to the young man as the bravado faded and his next answer was leavened with an honest sincerity that drew a nod from the mermanta. This, he could at least do something about, if Jude chose to let him. "If I can help you, I will try."
He had made mistakes but he had survived and was the stronger for them.
Whether Jude would be able to say the same in years to come would be up to the young man, and the time that stretched ahead of him. But Hadama remained quiet, his boundaries as fluid as the tide that surged and crashed nearby, outside the range of his calming magic. He tilted his head, listening to the fierce boasting, and if it sounded very much like Jude might regret such a choice someday, well.
"You are old enough to make your own decisions," he agreed. And then paused, looking thoughtfully down at the rebuilt bridge of ice and starlight. "Old enough that your father could not easily stop you." Old enough to be held accountable for his own actions, rather than for his parents to be blamed more than tangentially. But with luck that particular lesson would not be too harsh in the coming days of the road Jude was choosing.
If he followed through with it, Hadama could not stop him. He looked back to the young man as the bravado faded and his next answer was leavened with an honest sincerity that drew a nod from the mermanta. This, he could at least do something about, if Jude chose to let him. "If I can help you, I will try."
