[ WHAT A DIZZY DANCE ]

[Filter: Hazel]

You know, it occurs to me that I'm actually giving you a very nice gift, with all of this reading business. I read twenty whole pages of Gulliver's Travels today. I'm a fucking saint over here. Really.

I'm starting to think that I'm owed some repayment.

[Filter: Eriena]

I've been thinking about you, lately.

... huh.

Well, I finished "With Tears, Rest." Kinda picked up at the end.

Alright! Whatever, Four-Eyes, I picked a damn book!

Honey, I'm home!

Well, I will be. By morning. I thought I might get it by last night, but I didn't, so I figured ... why not. Push through the night, get there sooner.

I'm expecting a totally amazing pie chart.

[Filter: Private]

Now I get to wonder incessantly if I made the right choice. Fuck me.

I was being ignored, I was starting to get crazy, Emily apparently actually thinks that Glenn is a better surrogate father than her actual father ... Obvious enough, right? That's a situation you get the fuck out of.

But now I have to torture myself wondering what I could have done different!

Dragons, fuck me again.

[Filter: Hazel]

I'm on the road. You know, if you care.

[Filter: Private]

This is ridiculous.

There's nothing for me, here. Emily would rather have Glenn, Lords Hayden and Stephan only put up with me because they think I'm a loaded cannon, and Eriena ...

I should never have even come in the first place. Didn't I know exactly how this would turn out?

[Filter: Hazel]

... how are things at home?

I haven't really been asking, have I?

[Filter: Eriena]

So, look, sweetheart, I know you're really busy organizing fun holiday celebrations where you push my daughter off on smarmy Western peacocks, and I feel for you, I really do. Your life is hard.

But when I send a message directly to you, I think I have a right to be a bit put out when you never dignify it with an answer. And when I send three messages, and you ignore all three, I start to think that our little truce has been called back to the front lines.

[Filter: Private]

I still don't trust the bitch in any way, but ... whatever her own reasons are for trying to keep me away from Emily, she's probably right in it. Incidentally, but.

... Emily ...

She's a sweet little girl. She really is. I didn't --

It was easier to think about using what I know to make Eriena do what I wanted before I actually ... met her. Emily. Because Eriena isn't making shit up when she says that Emily's life is going to crash if I do loose that arrow. There's a reason we don't even acknowledge the possibility of noble bastards here in Dentoria. Something like this going public ...

I wonder how long I'm going to be able to hold the upper hand before Eriena realizes that? And then ...

Heh, well. She's just looking for an opportunity to push me out, isn't she?

... my daughter.

Dragons, it's stil ... insane to even think about.

I can't even. Hazel and I will have our own, I'm sure. But for some reason, that seems so inconsequential and external and hard to get a grip on. But Emily ...

-- oh, shit, Hazel

[Filter: Public]

Oh, hell.

Right, so, for the record, I am an idiot, and I hope that Lord Hayden's pestering me about what foods I like tipped it off, but I'm too lazy to flip back there and in case I didn't ...

Hey, wife back home, I'm in Keirnan and dealing with all of that super important vineyard business that brought me here.

[Filter: Private]

This seemed like such a good idea when I was a month's journey away. Yeah, sure, I could definitely meet my daughter and make her love me and use her to emotionally blackmail Eriena into doing whatever I want. Brilliant.

Except that I don't know how to talk to children. Except that I'm a stupid ridiculous manchild who wouldn't even know where to start.

She's going to hate me.

Why wouldn't she?

[Filter: Eriena]

Did you have a nice Rose Day?