Restored (A Caleo Selection)

21 ~ A Truth So Fundamental

"A guy needs a break every once in a while."

He grinned, and I noticed how much older and sadder his eyes looked. That humorous twinkle had disappeared. It seemed an eternity ago that I'd first seen him and thought him silly, goofy, supremely unroyal. Now, I missed those parts of him.

I cleared my throat. "Yes. Well. You wanted to see me?"

"Yeah." Leo pulled out a rickety chair for me and jumped up on a worktable, sending several screws to the ground. "I have no idea what I'm doing."

"We established that a long time ago."

"No, I mean, about this Selection stuff." Leo fiddled with a
tool belt. "The papers are making a huge deal about all the bad stuff that's been happening -- you probably haven't seen it. The Report has barely featured anything but reassurances and platitudes to calm everything down. I'm wondering if I should just focus on making everything right and cancel the Selection."

I paused, trying to look at the situation sensibly. "Well, what do you want to do?"

"I want to do what's best for my co -- "

"No, not the script answer. What do you, personally, want to do?" I rested my chin on my hand.

Leo hesitated. "I want to keep it going," he answered finally. "I want a partner. Someone who'll run the country beside me, because I sure can't do it alone."

"Then find that," I said, with more conviction than I felt. "Figure out a way to find the girl who will do that for you. It doesn't have to take long."

"How?" he asked, fiddling with a nail.

"Have discussions with us about legal matters? Hold debates? Wait, no, don't do that. I don't want to have to debate." I pulled my knees up to my chest.

He laughed that stupid, high-pitched giggle that made my stomach leap for no reason. "That's a good idea. Lemme see if I can come up with anything non-controversial enough to be debated on national TV without issues."

"If it's not controversial, then we'll have nothing to debate," I pointed out.

"Dang it, Calypso, stop blowing holes in my plans."

"You do a pretty fine job of that yourself."

"I've heard that one before." Leo swung his legs. "Seriously. I don't know how to find whoever's best for me."

"Why are you asking me? I'm not exactly impartial." I kicked his leg back away from me.

"Oh ho ho, you're not?" Leo winked. "So you do like me. I knew it all along."

"That isn't -- I don't -- that's not what I meant!"

"Alrighty, Lady Grouch, whatever you sa-ay," Leo sang.

I picked up the closest thing I could find, a cat-paw, and flung it at him. He ducked. "Ooh, quite the temper! She can dish it out, but she can't take it."

I reached for a hammer. "Just you wait, Prince Combustion."

Laughing, he twirled a screwdriver around his finger. "Let's not throw hammers, or you might never be allowed to come down here again."