“To what extent does parentage influence a child’s Core Skill? Based on the research accounts I have read, I concluded that there is no correlation. There are some, however, who are adamant that there is. Most are men who regularly insist on conducting additional tests of which they are active participants, so make of that what you will.”

~Unknown

I awoke to the slamming of a door. The sudden jolt of noise practically launched me out of bed, and I ran to my window in a panic. Our garden partially obstructed my view, but I caught sight of Tina stalking her way over to Lionel’s tent. For all his talk of sleeping under the stars, Lionel eventually took the time to set up the small canvas shelter, barely large enough to fit a grown man. Vigil was tight on Tina’s heels, hackles raised.

Oh she is pissed about something, I noted.

Shock can be one doozy of a caffeinator. Coupled with a pulse from Recovery I was able to banish the dregs of sleep from my system within seconds. Seized by concern and curiosity in equal turn, I clambered out my window and scurried barefoot through the garden to get a closer look at proceedings. The cool soil on my bare feet was surprisingly pleasant, though I didn’t linger on the sensation. I heard Fudge whine. The thought of him catapulting through the window and shattering glass in a valiant effort to reunite with me forced a momentary delay. I spun on my heel.

“Fudge, stay,” I intoned the word the way he’d been taught to respond to and-

“Lionel! Get out of that tent you shit-encrusted-sheep-anus,” I heard Tina snap as she entered the proclaimed sheep-anus’ temporary campsite. Vigil growled to emphasize the demand.

That’s a new one, I thought approvingly. Curses and swear words may often be considered crude, but sometimes you want something linguistically filthy to properly articulate your feelings. As much as the brewing conflict concerned me, I couldn't help but catalog Tina’s colorful choice of words away for later.

Perseverance stirred as my mind began to wander, but I clamped down on the Skill.

Remember, you do what I say, I warned the personification of my own growing magical ability. Constant, flippant use of the Skill had led to the development of some unfortunate habits. Tragically, I knew I’d eventually torment myself by reviewing every choice I’d made over the last several years. Lionel’s advice from the night before came to mind as I watched him smoothly pull himself out of the low tent, and I used it to clamp down on my thoughts.

What’s done is done, I told myself.

“I do not normally consider myself the most speak-good when roused so abr- so early,” Lionel said through his personal morning fog. He stretched and yawned as he stood, giving no indication that Tina’s presence bothered him. “My coffee stash is limited, but I recall you being fond of the beans and I doubt you can get them regularly around here. Would you like some?”

I could barely make out the words from my position half-crouched behind a bush. Trying something new, I urged Perseverance to send mana to my ears. I needed to start being more intentional in my use of the Skill. I was in charge, and - according to me - struggling to overhear that conversation was a barrier Perseverance could help me overcome. The Skill whirred to life and sent a steady stream of power down my mana pathways.

“Coffee? I come to you furious and you offer me coffee?!” Tina sounded incredulous. Much to my pleasant surprise, I could hear her clearly. Her outburst was loud, which helped, but there was a definite clarity to the sound that wasn’t there before.

Weird that I’m not hearing the sounds of bugs stomping on the ground, or something, I thought. I had braced myself for some type of sensory adjustment. It was like Perseverance was filtering out the irrelevant sounds.

Intent is important, I reminded myself. It was starting to feel like a mantra, but one I was happy to adopt.

“You may consider it a final gambit, of sorts,” Lionel admitted with spread arms. “If you insist on airing your grievance, why not do so while indulging?” He took a moment to run a set of fingers through his hair like a comb. “Consider it a standing offer.”

Lionel’s tirade made Tina hesitate, but only for a moment.

“You… No. Do NOT start with me, Lionel,” Tina warned. The way her hand cut through the air to punctuate her points reminded me of an orchestral conductor. “My grievance is that you convinced Tulos to-”

Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

“Careful, Tina,” Lionel forcefully cut her off, adopting a dangerous tone of his own. “Consider the consequences your accusation might bring before it is unleashed.” The pair stared each other down in the tense seconds that followed. All I could hear was the low rumble of a growl coming from Vigil’s chest.

“My apologies, Slayer-Lieutenant,” Tina used the title like a slur; it provoked a frown from Lionel. “It would be disrespectful to consider your involvement in the so-called-plan my beloved shared with me.” Her voice was dripping with acidic sarcasm.

Lionel tried to interject, but Tina continued her tirade.

“‘Just try and sleep on it, love,’” she gave a poor impression of Tulos’ rumbling bass. “As if I would sleep after being told you plan to take my Will away from me!” She escalated in volume as she spoke until she practically screeched the last few words.

Well, fuck, I thought numbly. There was a lot to unpack there and even more to question. Now that I was actively cognizant of the more insidious touches of Perseverance, I felt a thin tendril of mana try to steer my thoughts towards actively listening as opposed to reflecting on the information. A flex of my will restrained the Skill, but I took its advice and decided to wait until I had all the facts.

I’ve been letting this Skill run on autopilot for too long, I scolded myself again, not wanting to forget my folly.

“Tina, I am beginning to suspect you are not yet prepared for logic and simply wish to vent your frustrations at a scapegoat,” Lionel said calmly, once again flaunting his apparent disregard for self-preservation. “Before you continue, however, I feel it would be wise to inform you that the ‘Will’ in question has been eavesdropping on our conversation.” Without taking his eyes off of Tina and Vigil he gave a small wave in my direction.

Right… I should have seen that coming. Trying to sneak up on the man with sound-based Skills and magic was a doomed venture from the get go. I stood up from my hiding place and waved back. There was no sense in hiding. Honestly, if not for the emotion-induced tunnel vision, Tina probably would have noticed me as well.

“Hi, mom,” I called weakly.

***

The situation eventually came to an uneasy resolution. Tina scolded me for disrespecting her privacy, which I begrudgingly accepted. Pointing out that people who shouted outdoors often forfeited their privacy would have done me exactly zero good.

Besides, I was technically being a little sneaky, I reflected at the time. I say sneaky instead of roguish since my bumbling attempt at subterfuge lacked the requisite panache. Under my supervision, Tina’s reignited frustration slowly fizzled out without an immediate outlet.

Tulos was quick to join everyone outside after the commotion, his clothing in disarray from having rushed into it. This reignited another round of tense, if restrained, exchanges, and I concluded that my presence was the only thing maintaining the fragile peace.

The problem is, that leaves me with sweet fuck-all regarding this ‘me being taken away’ business, I thought bitterly.

“Can someone please explain the situation to me,” I eventually snapped when Tina had the audacity to refer to something as the ‘you know what’ in front of me. “Your blatant obs- obfu-” I couldn’t remember the word. “Your trickery is annoying me!”

Their repetitive ‘he-said-she-said’ conversation came to a halt as all eyes focused on me. Perhaps predictably, it was Lionel who spoke up first.

“The word you are thinking of is obfuscation,” he said helpfully, but not in the way I wanted. “For the record,” he added, this time addressing Tulos and Tina. “I say we inform young Will regarding the delicate nature of his situation.”

“Does this have something to do with Perseverance?” I asked, knowing that my Core Skill had always been a covert subject in our household.

“I have told Will a portion of my history,” Tulos said by way of explanation when Lionel raised an eyebrow at my question.

“That explains it then,” Lionel accepted the answer with a nod. The action tilted his eyes towards Vigil, who remained at Tina’s side, and elicited another growl from the protective dog. The thought made me look back towards my window. Fudge had hopped onto his back legs and was resting his front ones on the windowsill to keep an eye on proceedings.

Cute. As. Fuck, I quickly noted, content that he wouldn’t cause any immediate issues.

“I do not like this,” Tina said flatly, but she didn’t otherwise object.

“Thanks, mom,” I said, wanting to encourage future honesty. “Not knowing would have made me feel like there were bugs in my stomach.” I did my best to appear adorable and filter my words through a slightly more childish lens. It earned me a small smile from her, which I considered a success.

Tulos cleared his throat. “Will, do you remember when I told you about how I was sent to The Crown? Well, not sent, because I technically-”

“Yes, dad, I remember,” I cut Tulos off before he started rambling, holding up both hands like he was a startled barnyard animal I was trying to sedate. Lionel and Tina both chuckled at my reaction, earning the former an annoyed look from the latter.

Dude gets glared at a lot, I noted.

“What I did not tell you was that, even if your grandparents wanted to keep me around, had The Crown discovered my Core Skill they would have taken me anyway.” It was remarkably succinct by Tulos’ standards, and it didn’t take long for me to realize the implications. Life was about to get a lot more complicated.