I will not be great, but I'm grateful to get through
Everest nods at once, the suggestion of tea and a defined conversation giving his mind something orderly to settle around. "Yes," he says, voice steadier now. "Tea and discussion." He turns toward the kitchen immediately, the familiar routine of the space helping smooth the lingering tension from his shoulders. The kettle is filled and set to heat, the quiet clink of porcelain following as he retrieves two mugs from the cupboard. Small, practical motions. Predictable. From the counter he glances over toward Isla and Fern, watching the way she rocks their daughter with easy instinct. At the mention of moving lower into Haulani, he nods again.
"That would be safer," he says, pulling the tea tin closer and measuring leaves with practiced precision. "You and I can both fly in emergencies. Fern cannot." He pauses a moment, considering the geometry of the city, especially that of the lower portion. "At sea level," he adds thoughtfully, "there are more ways to flee from potential threats."
The word garden, however, pulls a small smile from him. "Mateo would approve," he says, glancing back at Isla. "Though he might attempt to oversee the entire initial setup himself." The smile lingers a moment longer before it fades into something more thoughtful. Everest sets the spoon down and turns slightly, studying Isla with the quiet attention he usually reserves for complicated problems.
"I do not want to remove you from your life here," he says after a moment, voice gentler. "Living above the clinic has been important to you." His eyes flick briefly toward the hallway that leads back down to it. "You built something here, and I would not want the decision to move to feel as though it was taken away from you."
"That would be safer," he says, pulling the tea tin closer and measuring leaves with practiced precision. "You and I can both fly in emergencies. Fern cannot." He pauses a moment, considering the geometry of the city, especially that of the lower portion. "At sea level," he adds thoughtfully, "there are more ways to flee from potential threats."
The word garden, however, pulls a small smile from him. "Mateo would approve," he says, glancing back at Isla. "Though he might attempt to oversee the entire initial setup himself." The smile lingers a moment longer before it fades into something more thoughtful. Everest sets the spoon down and turns slightly, studying Isla with the quiet attention he usually reserves for complicated problems.
"I do not want to remove you from your life here," he says after a moment, voice gentler. "Living above the clinic has been important to you." His eyes flick briefly toward the hallway that leads back down to it. "You built something here, and I would not want the decision to move to feel as though it was taken away from you."
