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Arlen Kallem has recently come into possession of a boat. Well, actually he's recently come into possession of a few things, given his mother just died. But most relevantly, he has a boat. And a friend, with whom he can boat. These facts are relevant.
Harin has no objections to boating; he's still in shock, as far as Arlen can tell, which is pretty unreasonable, considering it's been like a week since his dad died, and the guy was a complete asshole. But it does make him conveniently portable and boat-able. Arlen is the skipper and Harin is the something. They are the perfect team.
Even the most perfect team can make dumb mistakes, though. Like drifting farther out to sea than intended. Or not noticing a hurricane brewing. Or being swept across the ocean until they smash onto the far shore. That sort of thing.
Ari, sprawled on the beach, has a pillow; the pillow is a large chunk of rock protruding from the sand. It's such a lovely pillow. Very comfortable. He's going to sleep now. Harin has similar opinions on the subject.
"So," Arlen goes on matter-of-factly, "are we just going to be living here or are you declaring us your tall children? Because we're okay with either, really, it's a matter of personal choice, though getting adopted would keep me from marrying Nior when we grow up, which would be a shame."
"If I were going to officially adopt you I would also need to consult my husband, who isn't here. Unofficially, you're welcome in my family even if you think my sons are too marriageable to make good siblings."
Arlen hugs everyone a few more times, because Harin is traumatized and Carielle is taking them in and Nior is cute when he's blushing. Then he scampers off to inform Mir that his mom is here.
When Mir sees Ari scamper into his room, the first thing he says is, "Oh, is Mother home?"
"She is! And she's great, and she says she might adopt us when your dad exists again! D'you want me to carry you downstairs? We're all in the kitchen."
Ari scurries away once more, to gather the rest of them, without waiting for a response.
"Hey, Possibly Mom, Miraen's upstairs and his legs are still broken, should we shift upwards?"
Arlen induces Harin to carry him, as this is his second time going up the stairs in as many minutes. And he was sprinting the other time. Harin carries him dutifully.
