Veridia didn’t mention anything about the altercation when she got home, either unaware or just indifferent. Maybe she was just too busy, Hiru thought, worriedly, waiting anxiously for it to be brought up. She had taken to eating dinner at the office, diagrams spread across her massive desk visible when Hiru peeked through the doors, though they still had breakfast together. It was nice seeing her without her makeup on, made him feel like he got to see a side of her that was just for him, despite the dark lines under her eyes that kept growing, bruises on an otherwise perfect face.
She had become more and more irritable lately, snapping at both him and Verro for every small misstep. He and Verro had started sharing a look behind her back whenever she did so. It felt good to have someone to acknowledge Veridia’s bad mood with, like they had an alliance, it made it easier to laugh rather than feel hurt by her words.
He had taken to doing his homework in the green house, placing a rough wooden table and chair in the room with his cacti. It was an ideal workspace, with the cool fan thrumming in the background a meditative hum. His mother had given him a large dinosaur back cactus sometime after his fight with Sivni, and Hiru was unable to determine if it was a subtle approval or if it was an apology for not picking him up. Either way, he had placed it next to his table so he could see it easily while he worked.
A soft knock resonated on the glass, Hiru looked up, startled. The knock had come from outside the greenhouse, but who would bother knocking? Mother would just come in and the gardener had come yesterday. A girl a little older than him stood outside the glass, her features slightly obscured in the frosted glass. He opened the side door, curious. Where would she have come from? Was it one of the maid’s children who came with their parents to work?
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The girl stepped in, looking around. ‘I’ve never seen these sorts of plants before, I saw them and I had to come take a look.’ She said with confidence, peering around at his collection. He was both flattered and a little alarmed. ‘Who are you?’ he asked, trying to keep the anxiety from his voice, she probably wasn’t a kidnapper, the briefing he had gotten about them had never mentioned this scenario. ‘Oh! Yes, I’m supposed to introduce myself. I’m Una. Nice to meet you. What are you called?’ Hiru stuttered a bit, he had never had to introduce himself before, and her way of speaking was a bit unusual. ‘My name is Hiru…’ Una nodded with amicable disinterest, before continuing her perusal.
‘...And I think he might be going to be my step-dad,’ Hiru continued. He had been talking to Una about his life for a while after he had run out of things to tell her about his plants. She listened politely, her head tilted in a bird-like manner. She was a good listener, if not the most attentive one. He felt a bit like he should ask her questions too, that was the polite thing to do in friendships. Or so he’d heard. ‘How did you get in here?’ He winced a little, that sounded very accusatory. Una seemed not to notice, ‘I was passing by and just happened to see your greenhouse, I could see how different they looked from above, so I decided to come get a closer look.’ Hiru nodded along. Maybe she was a hoverplane pilot. She must have very good eyesight. ‘Actually, I should get going, it’s getting a little late and I promised Mother I would be back today,’ she turned to exit. ‘Wait! Will you come back?’ Hiru asked, hopefully. Una turned to look back at him, her eyes very bright in the darkening room. ‘Do you want me to?’ Hiru nodded enthusiastically.