𝗘𝗫𝗛𝗔𝗟𝗘. ❪ 𝚔𝚊𝚖 ❫

five

☾ 𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐅𝐈𝐕𝐄 ☾

"Did you fill out the adoption request, Keefe?" Tam asked.

"Kind of. Like, half of it."

"Can you please finish it? I need to give it to the Council later today."

"Can't you do it? There's so much information to fill out. My head hurts." Keefe complained.

"Fine." Tam sighed. "Give it to me."

Keefe handed over the packet. "Good luck."

"This doesn't look that hard, Keefe." Tam said, flipping through the packet and skimming the pages.

"That's what you think now." Keefe smirked.

-- ☾

"Okay, so you're right Keefe." Tam said an hour later. "That form goes into SO. MUCH. DETAIL."

"Told you." Keefe said smugly.

"Whatever." Tam told him. "I'm going to Eternalia to drop this off. I'll see you soon."

"See ya, Tammy Boy." Keefe said as Tam disappeared into a beam of light headed for the Elvin capital.

The apartment felt quiet and still without Tam. Keefe hoped he'd be back quickly. After Biana's death, he liked to see all the people he loved right there. It was like a reminder that they were alive, that he wasn't going to lose them.

Keefe wondered what being a parent was going to be like. He had always thought that he and Tam wouldn't have a child, seeing as there wasn't an easy way to. Keefe would never see Biana's death as a good thing, but he was excited to be a parent now that he had the opportunity to. He just hoped he'd be better than his father or Tam's father had been...

Suddenly, there was a knock on the apartment door. Keefe quit pacing the floor and opened the door.

"Hello. This is a scroll for Keefe and Tam Sencen." A messenger said. She wore the official uniform for the Council's messengers and held a scroll in her left hand.

"Hi. I'm Keefe." Keefe said. "I can take the scroll."

The messenger handed him the scroll and left. Keefe closed the door. He set the scroll down on the dining room table and continued pacing. Keefe hoped he'd have enough patience to wait until Tam got back to open the scroll. The last time he'd opened an official message without Tam, he'd gotten chased around by an angry boy brandishing a pillow. Ironically, it had been Keefe's match list, which Tam had no business with except for being number two on. Somehow, Keefe doubted this scroll held as happy news as the other one had.

"Hey, I'm back." Tam said, walking up behind Keefe. He grabbed Keefe's shoulders. "Stop pacing."

"Hey." Keefe said, giving Tam a hug. Tam sunk into the hug, which was unusual for him, and Keefe realized Tam shared his fear of losing loved ones.

"We got a scroll." Keefe said into Tam's shoulder, still holding on tightly.

"What did it say?" Tam asked.

"I don't know. I waited for you to open it."

"Remember when you opened your match packet without any of us?"

Keefe laughed. "I remember that. I also remember your face when you actually saw the list."

"Yeah." Tam said. "Enough reminiscing, let's open the scroll."