In Which Isidro's Discretion Is Tested

August 11, 1178

Isidro's father-in-law had to open and shut his mouth a couple times before he managed a word. Not that it was the worst reaction he'd expected; much more tactful than the guards' snickers and Falidor's wide-mouthed gaping, at least. "Uh... do I want to know?"

More sheepish than he usually cared to be, Isidro held the clumsy braid up to his eye and grimaced. He meant to return with it intact, but a few unruly strands already seemed to have other ideas. "Ah, well... Alya's been going through a hair obsession and Riona was getting a little tired of being the test subject, so I let her play with mine instead. It's certainly not perfect, but pretty good for a not-quite-five-year-old, wouldn't you say?"

"Having generally fathered girls who skipped that stage, I can't be sure." Severin squinted somewhat as he stifled a laugh. "All I know is that you look ridiculous."

"You're just jealous because you could never pull this off."

Another harmless chuckle. After all those years of Domingo, it was a relief to know that he'd learned to take paternal teasing for what it was. Even before Alina had been born, he might have taken that as genuine bullying. "You tell yourself that. Anyway, I have a job for you."

"Oh?"

"Yes." His father-in-law tried to flatten his smirk into a straight face, but didn't quite manage. Nonetheless, Isidro could appreciate the effort. "I need you to put a team together to search the forests for a sentient suit of armor."

Wait a minute. Was that teasing too? Maybe his faith in that newfound discretion had been premature. Severin didn't sound like he was joking, but... "Um. Am I really supposed to believe that?"

"Ordinarily, no." His suppressed smile broke free, a strange, amused look in his eye. "But let me remind you that you live in Naroni."

Point taken. "Guess I can't argue with you there. But why are you asking me? Shouldn't one of your sons take the lead here?"

"Perhaps, but they aren't the sort of men who ought to be in charge of shiny objects." He shook his head, then gave Isidro's hair a quick ruffle; for the sake of Alya's pride, it was lucky that the braid went mostly undisturbed. "Besides, you're technically my son too."

That was probably the first time anyone had ever said that to Isidro without a hint of shame lurking in their voice. Or maybe there was a hint of shame and he was tricking himself into ignoring it? Oh well--he supposed he'd let it slide for now. "If you say so. Do you want it captured, or just observed? And how many men do you suggest I take?"

"No need to capture the thing; simple observation will be fine. And maybe eight or ten, including yourself. An even number, so you can split off into pairs and cover more ground. Try to find men with half a brain, if possible. I think Searle needs something to take his mind off of things, so bring him along. And take Lonriad too; he seems to be enjoying life a little too much."

Isidro nodded. "I'll start recruiting right away."

"No need." His father-in-law headed back to his desk and sat, elbows on the table and his chin resting atop a raised fist. "Go home and let your daughter see that you love her enough to walk around like that in public. You can talk to the men tomorrow, when you look like someone who can be taken seriously."

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