Alonza put a hand to his heart and nodded.
Hendrik, whose mouth was full again, made a sort of noise of affirmation and tried to chew and swallow as fast as possible.
Dagan chuckled, and a small smile tugged at Alonza’s mouth. It was less pretty than Dagan’s, but there was family resemblance there too, in the bow of the upper lip and the way the bottom one jutted just slightly when they smiled.
Hendrik gave his bowl to Dagan and held out a hand to Alonza. “Hendrik. Hello. You’re the Head Verder’s apprentice, right?”
“How can you keep us straight without having met us?” Alonza asked, accepting the hand but just sort of holding it there, as if he wasn’t sure what to do with it.
Because of course he wasn’t. Hendrik squeezed the hand and shook it quickly, then let go. And he’d been so good about not trying to shake hands with everyone; of course he’d go and fuck it up with Dagan’s brother, of all people. “Sorry, I think that’s just muscle memory at this point.”
“Jessica called him in a few days ago,” Dagan said, still smiling fondly despite Hendrik’s awkwardness. Then he took rather a large bite of Hendrik’s food.
“Do you know what they’re going to do?” Hendrik asked, both eager and very much not.
“I’m but a lowly apprentice.” Alonza’s almost-smile became more of an almost-smirk. “But apparently she wants me involved somehow.”
“Where’s Demetrius?” Dagan asked around a mouthful of mushrooms.
“Taking care of the conservancy while we’re both gone. It’s his first time alone.”
“Who’s that?” Hen asked, reaching for his bowl again.
“His partner and fellow apprentice Verder.” Dagan pretended not to notice and stole another bite.
“Junior apprentice but yes.” Alonza shot Dagan a look.
Dagan just smiled as sweetly as possible with his cheeks full of food.
“So that’s called a partner?” Hen wondered.
“No,” Dagan said, “Sorry, by partner I meant, like, they’re formally a family unit. Lovers, husbands, whatever it is you say in the City.”
“Though it can be used even if the arrangement is informal,” Alonza amended. “But yes. Ours is not.”
Hendrik realized he should’ve known that by now; he’d heard Dagan refer to his other siblings having partners, but he hadn’t quite put it together. “How young do people…form families, here?” he wondered, glancing around for Kajja.
Alonza shrugged. “I’m almost twenty-five, which is fairly young. But so is he, and there was never any doubt.”
“They’re disgusting,” Dagan said happily. “It’s puppy eyes non-stop. They just got together so it’s all very romantic, still.”
“What about seventeen? That’s too young, right?” He couldn’t imagine Kajja even being interested at her age, let alone being encouraged to, in a place like this.
Dagan and Alonza exchanged a look. Dagan said, “It’d be strange. That’s usually a time for exploration, both in love and professionally. But it’s…probably a thing?”
“Probably,” Alonza agreed but frowned. “That’s considered old enough for relationships but perhaps too young to make a commitment.”
Hen asked, “Can you get out of the commitment? The partnership?””
Alonza’s frown deepened. “Why? What has he been saying?”
“What?” Hendrik looked at Dagan for help.
Dagan rolled his eyes. “He’s not talking about you, ‘Lonza, he’s just asking. They do this ridiculous marriage thing no one can get out of, in the City. This is new to him.”
“Well, why didn’t you explain it?” Alonza sighed impatiently. “Though to be fair, I’m not sure you understand it, either.”
“Can you not?” Dagan blinked up at him, clearly exasperated. “Just answer the question or say you don’t want to. Not everything’s about you.”
“Yes, one can get out of a family commitment. It’s more complex if there are children or more than one partner involved, but most people keep things fairly simple.” Alonza gave a sniff that seemed almost offended.
“Uh, right, thanks.” Hendrik looked between the brothers, one stiff-necked and tall, the other slight and easy, standing with one hip jutting out and eating someone else’s food with abandon.
On second thought, they looked nothing alike at all.
“Okay, go act important somewhere else, like I know you’re dying to.” Dagan handed the bowl back to Hen, finally. “I just wanted to make sure you two met.”
“A pleasure,” Hendrik said, though he wasn’t sure that was the right word.
Alonza mumbled some pleasantry but reached out to pat his brother’s shoulder on the way past.
Hendrik watched him go, no idea what to think. “Well, that was interesting.”
“He’s a bitey little bitch, but he loves me, believe it or not.” Dagan sighed. “Such a huge branch up his ass I’m pretty sure Demetrius always has to bottom, though. No room for anything else up there.”
This reduced Hendrik to laughter, until he noticed there was barely one bite left in his bowl. With as much desolation as he could muster, he said, “You ate my mushrooms.”
Dagan sidled closer and put a hand on the small of Hendrik’s back, then slipped it below his waist, into his pants, and squeezed his ass. “I’ll make it up to you.”
