It still gave Elwin a little thrill of pride when Sophie willingly sought his medical help outside of emergencies, given how frightened she'd been of him in the beginning.
The fact that she walked in with Keefe wasn't at all surprising.
And he supposed the fact that they walked in holding hands really wasn't all that surprising either.
He'd suspected this for a long time.
Still, he couldn't help but raise his eyebrows at them and ask, "when did this happen?" As he looked at their clasped hands.
Sophie looked pleased and slightly embarrassed.
Keefe looked pleased and incredibly proud.
"Oh, she showed up where I was hiding in the Forbidden Cities and practically dragged me back home and we've pretty much been together ever since," Keefe said, winking at Sophie, who rolled her eyes at him.
Elwin snorted. "That's our feisty girl. And she must be a good influence on you if you're getting to school so early."
"Well...I didn't get a lot of sleep last night," Sophie admitted as she and Keefe sat down side by side—on the same bed—and continued to hold hands.
What else was new? This girl's cells were perpetually exhausted.
"And I wondered if there was anything you could give me that would help me get through the day," she finished. "But start with Keefe, his is more pressing."
Elwin had already put on his iridescent spectacles and was about to look Sophie over, but he hesitated.
"It's just a headache," Keefe insisted. "I can wait. I probably would've just suffered through if I hadn't wanted to make sure I could convince Foster to come in."
So he started with Sophie. And it was clear that she was tired, but her cells didn't show the levels of exhaustion he was used to seeing.
She must be sleeping better, overall, than she used to.
He couldn't help but wonder if maybe things would start getting better. If the world was slowly going back to some sort of order, a new normal, another period of peace. He sure hoped so—for Sophie's sake as well as everyone else's.
He didn't know how many more times she could cheat death, and he feared the time he would not be able to save her.
He'd known from the start that this girl was destined to shake things up, but hadn't been prepared for the number of times she'd face horror, trauma, and death.
"This is not a regular substitute for proper sleep," he explained as he handed her an elixir. "There's a reason I haven't given it to you before, even though you've been so sleep deprived. I wanted to focus on making sure you got the sleep you needed—and to make sure you were finding a way to get your nightmares under control."
The horrors she had faced were bad enough. He hated that she had to relive them while sleeping too.
She nodded. "That's been getting better, and I've been sleeping better too. Just...not last night."
"Everything okay?"
She certainly didn't look unhappy.
And she was still holding Keefe's hand.
They seemed to have found something together that he still, in all his years, had yet to find.
"Just...a lot on my mind." Her free hand reached up to tug out an eyelash—some strange nervous habit he'd noticed before—but Keefe reached out and stopped her.
"You don't have to stress about it, Foster," he said quietly. "And it's probably safe to tell Elwin, we already know he agrees with you on this, remember?"
"I think this is when a human physician would point out doctor/patient confidentiality," Elwin said with a smile. "Your secret is safe with me."
Then, while Sophie seemed to consider what he'd said, he turned his attention to Keefe. He could see that there was some pressure in Keefe's temples and behind his eyes. Headaches weren't a common ailment for elves, but they still occurred under certain conditions, like stress or lack of sleep.
Elwin suspected both in this case. Keefe was handling things remarkably well, given everything he'd been through recently, but it wasn't surprising that it would cause some stress.
"I hope this won't be a recurring problem," he said, handing Keefe an elixir. "But I think it's just stress. There's also pressure built up around your shoulders and the base of your neck. That's a tension headache."
Keefe took the elixir. "I can feel that worry coming off you, Foster. I promise I'm fine. I think it's just because I'm still adjusting to...everything."
"For the record," Elwin cut in, "I agree with Keefe."
"See, Foster? I'm a genius. I know what I'm talking about."
"I don't know about that," Elwin teased with a wink. He couldn't help but laugh. Keefe was such a fun kid to be around. "But as I was saying, there's nothing wrong, nothing concerning. But Keefe, don't just suffer through headaches. I'm always here to help." He looked over at Sophie. "I'm here for both of you."
He wasn't sure why he was feeling so emotional today. It must just be seeing Sophie and Keefe together. They were really growing up, nearing adulthood.
Sophie was nearing adulthood.
And he'd missed most of her childhood. There were many times before now that he'd wished he could've known her when she was younger.
Because the first time he'd met her, she'd been quiet, timid, and afraid of him.
No one had ever been afraid of him.
He was generally considered by the students to be a lovable, goofy ally.
In fact, he'd always seen a little bit of himself in Keefe. Keefe also has a tendency to shirk tradition, he loved making people laugh, putting them at ease. So maybe it shouldn't be surprising that Sophie was drawn to Keefe.
Even if Keefe had a darker history, heartbreaking reasons why he had a rebellious streak in him.
Elwin didn't have that baggage.
But he wanted to help Keefe through it. It's why he'd offered to let Keefe move in with him for the remaining months of his sixth year, before moving into the towers.
He looked them both over one more time to make sure the elixirs had done their jobs. As he checked Sophie again, she admitted that they were still considering trying to figure out who her biological parents were, despite Mr. Forkle's insistence that he could not disclose the information.
"Maybe you could talk to him," Keefe suggested. "You agree that it's information Sophie deserves to know, right?"
"I absolutely do," Elwin agreed.
Never mind the fact that he'd already gone round and round with Mr. Forkle on that.
And he'd wanted her to know. Agreed she had every right to know who her parents were and that it was wrong to keep that information from that poor girl.
Right up until Mr. Forkle—or rather, Magnate Leto at that time—had informed him that Sophie had discovered the truth about her mother—whoever she was—and that Sophie now hated her.
And he understood why Sophie would feel that way. But it made him almost afraid, now, for her to keep pursuing it. It would only end in more heartache.
"Are you both feeling better?" he asked them. They both told him they were.
He grabbed a couple of bottles of Youth and handed one to each of them.
Sophie looked lost in thought, but as he handed Keefe his bottle, their fingers brushed against each other and Keefe tensed, looking at him curiously.
He turned away and told them they could take the Youth and head out for morning orientation.
Holding hands again, they thanked him and walked out of the Healing Center.
After orientation, he'd need to speak with Magnate Leto again.
But minutes after morning sessions had started, before he could hail Leto, Keefe reappeared.
Elwin looked at him in surprise. "Is your headache back?" He grinned. "Or are you just ditching for the fun of it again?"
Keefe looked full of a nervous energy that hadn't been there earlier. "I'm going to ask you something," Keefe said quietly. "And I'm begging you to answer me honestly."
Uh-oh.
"Are you Sophie's father?"