<span style="font-size: 15px"><span style="font-family:Open Sans">“I don't claim to know everything about Blue, but there are some things we relate on.” Shitty, overbearing fathers happened to be one of them, and all the pressures that came with not being able to be what they wanted. Eivind had offended the man, and he could tell. If it was out of line to say something of that nature to Blue's father, he didn't care. The man wasn't giving Blue the chance to speak for himself, and so Eivind gave his opinion. Louis went on about how Blue had made the family suffer for his disappearance, but not of Blue's own happiness, or the reason he'd left in the first place.<br/>
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Blue spoke up then, claiming responsibility for his own actions, not blaming them on another. He tried to defend Eivind, but the wolf didn't think there was much help for him. He wasn't sure anything was ever going to change Louis' opinion of him.<br/>
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This time though, Katherine cut in, more politely than her husband. She addressed Eivind, and the wolf turned his gaze to her rather than the more obvious threat in the room. She held her hand up to silence Louis, and though unhappy, he let her speak. When she started speaking, Eivind wished that she hadn't. <i>True to some degree</i>? They knew nothing of wolves, and mated pairs, he had to remind himself. Eivind snorted at the comment about Blue simply being very pretty to him.<br/>
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“You think I picked Blue because he's young and <i>pretty</i>?” Eivind questioned back, looking between Blue, and back to his mother. “You do him no justice thinking that he couldn't possible be <i>more</i> than just a pretty face to me.” She was trying to dismiss him, Eivind realized, under a blanket of politeness.<br/>
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“I'm sorry, but I didn't come here with Blue for you to dismiss this as a tryst. I wouldn't have wasted your time, mine, and Blue's if this was all that was,” Eivind told her, trying to keep the insult out of his voice. Eivind couldn't keep it off his face though when she told Blue that he was nothing more than a mistake. Did she realize the words that were coming out of her mouth? Did she realize how patronizing she sounded?<br/>
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“I think Blue's mistakes are his to decide,” he said, his face slightly pinched, but they were getting nowhere fast, it seemed. “He is an adult, and if he wants to stay with his family, that's fine. It he wants to leave with me, that's fine too.” Eivind didn't mention that they'd already talked about this, and that Blue had said he'd be coming back home with him. It wasn't his place to say that, and he wasn't sure if Blue would change his mind. If he didn't, and still wanted to go with him, he didn't want to say it too soon. There was no need, and he was sure it would only upset everyone, him talking about taking Blue away from them again when he'd just arrived. Perhaps it wasn't such a good idea for him to come along the first time, or maybe it would have just prolonged the inevitable. He felt like he was causing enough tension that they couldn't enjoy their reunion, and that isn't what he wanted for Blue. He gave his hand a squeeze in apology.<br/>
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“He can get back to his real life wherever he is. I've already talking to him about going back to school.” And Eivind had no illusion that Louis was going to continue financing Blue's education after this mess. That was fine. Perhaps if he knew the truth. Blue hadn't been being irresponsible. He'd gotten captured, and hurt, but that was their burden. Blue's parents would think less of both of them because they couldn't know the truth.</span></span>