She raised their joined hands and kissed his fingers, and knew he would feel the certainty that lay behind her words. And perhaps even her clear awareness that Cass and Laura’s own positions on this world—where her daughter had the gratitude of millions, but was not allowed to leave—was more complex than it appeared on the surface. It was very fortunate indeed that Cass wanted to stay.
Laura watched Gidds struggling not to fall asleep, and thought about Sue’s five years of marriage, and her own ten. They had been happy, and then things had changed, and there was no guarantee things would not change with Gidds. They would grow together or grow apart, and she had no way of knowing which it would be until they lived it.
Admittedly, Gidds' complications might involve interplanetary politics. Would her attempts to promote ties with Earth cause him problems? Would KOTIS' plans for Cass drive a wedge between them?
Laura closed her eyes, refusing to get drawn into worrying through all the worst possibilities. She would get to know the man better. She would enjoy it.
She really was enjoying this.
Chapter Twelve
"No, I’m not surprised at all," Cass said. "Something similar happened when, oh, I forget which of the documentaries I subtitled it was, but there were horses. I got asked about it, produced some images from the Olympics—show-jumping and dressage and whatnot—and suddenly half Muina desperately wanted to re-enact National Velvet."
"Are there no horses in all the Triplanetary?" Sue asked, leaning around Laura.
"Not on Tare or Kolar. They did find some herds on Muina, but they were the short, fat pony type of horses. And really unfriendly, though I gather some Kolaren smallholder has actually managed to bribe a few into letting her pat them. Don’t mention that you can ride, Aunt Sue, or you’ll have her sitting at your feet."
"I like people sitting at my feet," Sue remarked. "All my horses have come pre-bribed, though."
"Fortunately I could just tell everyone I’d never even been on a horse, and they left me alone," Cass went on. "Alyssa isn’t going to have a moment’s peace after this."
They all paused as Alyssa, who had been making slow circuits of Pandora Shore’s ice-filled indoor swimming pool, leaped into the air, executed a single twist, and landed neatly. Everyone who had been allowed in to watch the preparation—two teachers, the Arcadian contingent, and assorted senior Setari—promptly applauded.
Shaking her head, Alyssa skated to the end of the pool where Laura, Julian, Cass and Sue were standing on specially-laid rubbery matting behind a pair of benches.
"I’m so totally out of condition."
"Show off for five minutes and then offer someone your skates," Cass advised.
"I need to be ready in case Maddy tries to—" Alyssa began.
"Even if she tries to do a handstand, we’ll be surrounded by Telekinesis talents. She’s not going to get hurt."
Alyssa looked doubtful, then sighed and sat on the nearest bench, looking around the generously-sized hall at the various Setari who were settling down in the modest bleachers, and then at the semi-translucent fence that had been grown around the pool to give new skaters something to hold on to.
"All this just so Maddy can make a point with a couple of kids in her class."
"All this so Zee can try it out," Cass said, nose wrinkling. "She’s the driving force behind things actually happening. Though Mara’s helping it along because she bet Zee that she could stay upright longer than Zee could. Why do you think most of the skates they made are in adult sizes, and all the senior Setari are here?"
"Not sure I’d invite all my friends—and a bunch of schoolkids—to watch me on skates for the first time," Sue said.
"I think the gorgeous, naturally-athletic psychic will survive publicly falling on her ass," Cass said, grinning. "Besides, Zee’s one of the Telekinesis talents, so I don’t think for a moment she’ll actually fall."
"But using a talent will count for losing the bet," said a throaty voice behind them, and Laura turned to appreciate Zee’s husband, Nils, who was exactly as described in Cass' diaries: a 200-proof combination of beauty and sensuality that raised the temperature of every room he entered.
Cass smiled at him, unabashed, and said: "I would never have helped with that translation app if I knew it meant I’d have to stop snarking about people in English."
"Who needs translation when your expression makes everything so clear?" Nils said, tweaking her nose.
Cass swatted him away, then waved at further new arrivals, including Zee and Mara. "Are you going to try?"
"Apparently," Nils said, eyeing the waiting line of skates with a mischievous quirk of his lips. "I must admit dancing on knives is almost as unexpected as your melted rock spouts."
"Skating’s a bit more common," Cass said. "Here comes the horde: we’d better go snaffle some seats. Good luck Alyssa!"
"I’m going to need it," Alyssa said, dubiously eyeing Maddy’s class streaming through the door, although she brightened when Nick came in with Maddy.
Cass had similarly lit up because Kaoren had appeared with Ys, Rye, Lira and Sen, and Mara’s husband and two older sons as well. They settled into the bleachers next to the cluster of highly amused Setari, and listened as Alyssa—her voice transmitted to the audience through the interface—began to set out basic ice etiquette and safety while Nick helped her three tall students with their skates.
Rather than watch the show, Laura studied her daughter as she answered additional questions from Kaoren and her children. Content, settled, and unlikely to cause KOTIS difficulties. Not precisely in a gilded cage—Cass had made a deliberate and clear-eyed choice to stay on Muina—but Laura wondered if it was possible for her to not look at every treat, extravagant or small, and think of it as placation. Kaoren’s position was no less complicated, especially since he would be more aware of the apparently fractious internal politics of KOTIS, and the debates over how Touchstones were to be managed.
How much of a conflict of interest Laura represented for Gidds she could not guess.
Reminded, Laura studied Maddy’s class, and spotted Haelin easily: not only because she was one of the few in Kalrani uniform, but because she was sitting relaxed but upright, with her hands neatly arranged on her knees. Too cute.
Quite possibly because of her Sights, or because she had also been paying attention to Laura, Haelin turned her head and they looked at each other. Laura smiled faintly at the girl, but was saved from any awkwardness by Maddy, finally permitted onto the ice. Maddy promptly sped around the pool, then reversed the direction she was facing and did a circuit backward, smiling triumphantly at her classmates while she did so. Haelin joined in the applause, apparently pleased. Zee, Nils and Mara, in the meantime, were clutching the circling wall.
It would not do to go too much longer without a proper meeting with Gidds' children. Even without Sight Sight the girls might be hearing rumours through the KOTIS gossip channels. Speaking of which…
"Did you want to go with us on this trip to witness a moonfall, Cass?" Laura asked. "I know you had more than enough aether early on, but we’ve worked out a way around that."