Page 1780 -- CLXXXIX.

((Triple Saturday -- Page 3 of 3))
‘Now, of course, if you ARE older than you say, you have every reason to keep that information private,’ said Yovess, ‘so it would not be terribly surprising that you would want to put on an act in front of us, and I don’t think any of our kin would hold it against you.’

‘This sounds like more than rumblings,’ said Garovel. ‘It sounds like you believe these things yourself.’

‘I don’t know if I do,’ said Yovess. ‘But it would make a degree of sense, I suppose.’

Hector wanted to intervene with a question that he doubted Garovel would ask. “Have you met my mother?”

“Briefly,” said Horatio. “She seemed a curt woman.”

That was one way of putting it. “But... lemme get this straight. You’re saying that you think she might not actually be my mother?”

“Or that she is secretly a servant as well and far older than she appears,” said Horatio.

Hector took a breath, unsure of what to make of all this new information.

‘I admit,’ said Yovess, ‘it does seem a bit unlikely that you would go so far as to use your own mother to throw us off, but at the same time, it seems similarly unlikely that you would have fended off Melchor at Marshrock, Ivan at Dunehall, and Leo in Capaporo.’

Hector didn’t know where to begin explaining--or if he even could, for that matter. “Uh...”

‘Your confusion is understandable,’ said Garovel, making Hector wonder what the hell the reaper was about to say. ‘The simple truth of the matter, however, is that Hector is significantly more powerful than his age would suggest. And you’re right to be thinking that his age is a difficult issue for us. If word were to get out about how young he is in spite of his prowess, unwanted guests would likely come knocking on our door.’

‘You are saying he is an astero?’ said Yovess.

‘An astero?’ said Garovel. ‘I’m unfamiliar with that term.’

‘Ah. Forgive me. It’s a old Arman term for exactly what you just described.’

‘I see. In that case, yes, I suppose that is what I am saying.’

‘Then there is no need to explain further,’ said Yovess. ‘I understand your dilemma very well. Thank you for trusting us with that information. I imagine you must have been hesitant to do so.’

Hmm.

Hector wasn’t sure he followed all of that, but it sounded like it went surprisingly well.


Chapter One Hundred Eighty-Nine: ‘O, ravenous flower...’
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There were certainly a lot of people around. Surely, there had to be a good man here somewhere. It had been months since her last real relationship. Frankly, she was getting a bit desperate, and she knew it. Going this long without a boyfriend was just ridiculous. At this point, she was prepared to lower her standards quite a bit.

But wow. Maybe she wouldn’t have to.