It was on the tip of Yuze's tongue to snarl the nastiest thing he could think of and probably tank the fragile peace agreement, but a pillow smacking the Bandri warrior in the face.
The shock took Yuze's voice and apparently everyone else's.
Except Eirian, who grinned, and Brendan, who cheered and climbed to his feet while Finn was too surprised to do anything. He stumbled over to Kai Low, falling against his knees and reaching for the pillow that had fallen into his lap after hitting him in the face.
Kai Low looked shocked from the pillow, but somehow even more shocked at the small child who tried to climb into his lap after.
Eirian went from smug to worried, but as she started to rise, Chenzhou's hand shot out and caught her arm, keeping Eirian in her seat. His eyes were locked on Kai Low, and Brendan, like a hawk on its prey, his body coiled to leap, but he was stopping Eirian from doing so and holding himself so still he almost seemed like he was vibrating.
Kai Low was similarly frozen, staring down at the child who had managed to make his way into his lap without any help.
Finn sputtered in shock, and it seemed to jolt him into action, but doubt set in just as fast, and he ended up half-starting and half-stopping himself from in some kind of awkward shuffle that inched him closer to Kai Low but not close enough to touch. He shot Chenzhou and Eirian a panicked look.
Yuze and Mingzhe stiffened, but they also looked to Chenzhou and Eirian for guidance. Lord and Lady Ye were the final say when it came to Brendan, and despite the little time they'd managed to actually spend with him since he arrived, they were the ones responsible for his safety. If they were willing to see what happened with Kai Low, the rest of them would follow their lead.
Kai Low looked more confused than anything else.
Brendan alone didn't seem bothered. Bright eyes focused on the tattoo running down Kai Low's face. He reached for them, chubby little fingers dragging over the smooth skin of Kai Low's cheeks and just barely poking him in the eye. "-ty!" He peered up at Kai Low as if he was expecting a response.
Kai Low blinked, and for a moment the room held its breath, and then he reached out and dragged a finger down Brendan's face, mimicking the child's actions.
Brenden's face scrunched up, confused, and then he let out a peal of laughter that dissipated the rising tension in the room.
Kai Low gave the child a lopsided smile of his own. "Aren't you adorable, pup."
"-up!" Brendan giggled and reached for his braids.
Kai Low pulled them out of the way just in time since everyone else in the room was intimately aware of the strength of the child's grip. "No, no. Those are off limits. Why don't you go back to your minder, hm?"
Brendan's face twisted up into a pout, but Finn swept him up, tossing him lightly in the air before catching him and bringing him back to their workspace on the floor.
Kai Low watched them for a moment, struck by the memory of his own nieces and nephews back with Bang Shan. "Well, there's certainly no doubt who he is."
Eirian scoffed, relaxing back into her seat. "He is my brother."
"He could pass as your son."
"There's no need. Our laws are not so strict regarding inheritance." There were plenty of cousins who'd inherited one another's fiefdoms in the history of Sorrow. Especially among the noble families who went to great lengths to follow blood as much as possible.
"Do you have children, Ambassador?" Chenzhou was the one who asked, but Yuze was the one whose eyes locked on Kai Low's, waiting for his answer.
Did Fox have more family alive among the tribes? The idea that his blood might live on beyond Kai Low made his heart race in his chest, even as his mind reminded it they would never meet.
There was no need.
"No," Kai Low answered with something unidentifiable in his voice, some strange mixture of emotion none of them could place. "Just a handful of nieces and nephews."
"You could bring them here if you wish." Chenzhou offered.
The flat look Kai Low gave him put an end to that idea. "They are safe with Beng Shan and the rest of the family."
"Why Beng Shan?" Yuze asked, voice rough. "Are you related?" The curiosity that made him so good as a spymaster was starting to come back.
Kai Low gave him a considering look. "Only by a marriage whose participants are now dead."
No one seemed to know what to say to that. Yuze had several more questions, but they seemed insensitive when it was clear even to a room full of strangers that the subject pained Kai Low.
Was that part of the reason he and Fox had been on opposite sides? Maybe after Kai Low had been at the camelia for a while longer, he could ask.
Chenzhou rallied, the inner peacekeeper coming out. "Eirian and I have taken in Brendan. Raising a child is no small feat, especially when our responsibilities demand so much of us."
Kai Low looked reluctant to agree to anything he said, but he gave in this time. "It is challenging. We have a large family, so it has never fallen to me, but I enjoy spending time with them. There is something to be said for the lack of complications that come with adults."
Everyone in the room seemed to agree with that, nodding along and releasing the last of the tension.
Eirian, never one to hold back, returned to the original subject, "So why are you here?"
Kai Low scoffed. "Because that decrepit old man you said would teach me about your history was about to get thrown out a window." He glanced at Yuze, and some of that cheerful menace that had been so strong when they first met came back. "I thought perhaps Lord Rong would be an acceptable substitute."
~ tbc