As Eivind complimented Blue's work, Katherine and her daughters were beaming. They all knew Blue was exceptionally talented, and it pleased the girls to know others outside of the Broussard household could see it, too. Even Louis knew Blue was technically proficient, although he didn't put much stock into drawing and painting. That line of work was never going to be a steady, reliable source of income for Blue to depend upon, he was never going to be able to support himself, or support a family. Allowing Blue to enroll in art school had been a courtesy he had done on Katherine's behalf, though it had taken much coaxing and convincing to allow it to happen. That was all for naught, though, as Louis highly doubted Blue was completing his assignments while "working" with this Eivind, and he wasn't about to spend a few more thousands of dollars at a school Blue wasn't even attending. It didn't matter how close he was to graduating. Blue had lost his opportunity as far as Louis was concerned.<br/><br/>The elder male shifted uncomfortably in his chair as Eivind contradicted him, speaking as if he<i>knew </i>Blue better than his own father. It was presumptuous, at best, if not downright disrespectful. Louis' hand fell from his face and settled in his lap, his fingers weaving together, though it was obvious they were tense and clenching rather tightly.<br/><br/>"You speak as if you know Blue well, though you two have only been acquainted a few months? Katherine and I have been married for over twenty years and I've only just gained the confidence to speak about her personality with such authority." Louis was irritated by Eivind's words, but the man spoke with a level voice that at least kept the conversation on "polite" terms. For now.<br/><br/>"I have known Blue for twenty-one years. I have seen him grow and develop and I'd like to think I know him much better than someone who has only been in his life a short while. You're right, Eivind. I do not know you, and I do not trust you. And how could I? You have kept my son from our family while knowing how Blue chose to leave. By humoring his mercurial choices, you've enabled him to cause suffering to our family."<br/><br/>"Papa, Eivind didn't enable anything. I made my own decisions. That's it. He didn't try to convince me one way or the other what I should do. If I had told him I wanted to come back, he would have supported me without question. He's not what you think." Blue had begun to sit up, his back straight against the couch. He had been listening closely to Eivind's words, absorbing them slowly. They were sweet, thoughtful, and encouraging. Blue hadn't known Eivind thought all those things about him, but Blue knew Eivind did not divulge his feelings without purpose. He could see his father's eyes moving back and forth between him and the hand on his knee, and Blue made the quiet, conscious decision to remove Eivind's hand and intertwine their fingers together.<br/><br/>"And you know him so well, too, yes?"<br/><br/>"I know him better than you do," Blue hissed.<br/><br/>Katherine cleared her throat, drawing the attention of her husband and son. She was tired of this back and forth, and preferred to resolve things quickly. She had spent many years dealing with her husband and son's contentious relationship, and she was simply exhausted.<br/><br/>"Eivind," she began, holding her hand up when Louis turned and began to speak. Typically Louis held the reins in the household, but there were moments when Katherine put her foot down, and the man would reluctantly give in to her will. He huffed but sat back in his chair, glaring.<br/><br/>"You seem like a nice man. And I'm sure your... affection for Blue is true to some degree. We understand Blue might be very... pretty to you, and older men tend to appreciate that. However, we don't think you're entirely appropriate for our son. He is going to school, and we don't want him distracted by your relationship."<br/><br/>Louis snorted, mumbled something in French underneath his breath, but Katherine ignored it.<br/><br/>"Thank you for taking care of Stormy. But we're all adults here, and we know what you two have is just a little tryst. A fling. There's no reason to drag this out."<br/><br/>Blue's mouth was hanging open, unsure of how to respond to his mother's little lecture. She had always been supportive of him throughout his life, but to hear her so flippantly disregard his relationship with his mate was dumbfounding. Sure, she had no idea Eivind was his mate, or what that even meant. Blue hardly knew himself. But didn't she trust him enough to know that if he was bringing Eivind home with him, it<i>had </i>to be something more than just a fucking fling?<br/><br/>"Mom, I don't understand--"<br/><br/>"You don't need to understand, honey. Sometimes when we're young we make mistakes. This is just one of yours. As long as you learn from it, you'll grow and be a better person. You've had your fun. You rebelled, and now it's time to stay home and get back to your real life."