Blue wasn't surprised when Katherine decided to focus in on his boyfriend, not-so-subtly implying that she was more than curious about the ins and outs of their relationship. He supposed it was in her right as a mother, and he appreciated her coming at all and deciding to bring his sisters along for the ride. He was silent as his lover spoke, slowly eating the meal he had prepared, attention locked far more onto the conversation bouncing back and forth between the two than whatever he was doing with his spoon. He gasped minutely when he missed his own mouth, metal utensil crashing into his jaw and dribbling gravy down his chin. His sisters both snorted, attempting to hold back their laughter as Blue gave them both dirty looks. While cleaning up his face with his napkin, Blue was reminded of the many dinners they had shared with one another growing up, filled with affectionate teasing, soft giggles and disapproving glares shot across the table at one another. A warmth born from familiarity bloomed in his chest, and for a brief moment Blue was content despite his father's absence and the mild awkwardness being shared between his mother and his mate.<br/><br/>A sweet, melodic laughter tumbled across the tabletop as Eivind related to Katherine just how... unskilled he had initially been at making Blue happy. "That doesn't surprise me in the slightest," Katherine said, her painted pink lips grinning wide as she spared a look toward her only son. "Blue has always been extremely vocal when telling us what he wants. I'd be shocked if he didn't do the same with you."<br/><br/>Blue's mouth twitched, an odd half-smile that seemed to mold itself into an amused pursing of the lips. There had been mistakes in the beginning. On both sides, really, though Eivind would most likely never admit that. He was humble in that way, never placing blame or trying to explain away his transgressions, a quality that many of Blue's exes lacked. "It wasn't as bad as he makes it seem," Blue explained, twirling his spoon around in his bowl. "We were in an unusual situation. There was... attraction there, but I don't think either of us really knew what to do about it."<br/><br/>"So you guys wanted to bone but didn't know how? I'm pretty sure you just stick your--"<br/><br/>"Chrysanthemum!" Katherine looked at her youngest daughter, eyebrows narrowed. It wasn't unusual for Chrys to toe the line between humor and crassness, oftentimes testing her parents' boundaries and saying things wholly inappropriate for the dinner table. Blue had always found Chrys' penchant for dirty jokes at her young age hilarious, but even at twenty-one years old he wasn't about to contradict his mother even in his own home.<br/><br/>"Something like that," Blue mumbled, stuffing his face with a large chuck of beef, keeping his eyes down to hide his smile.<br/><br/>Katherine returned her attention to Eivind, shaking off her daughter's comment. "Blue has a website?" she parroted, turning to face her son. "Stormy, you didn't tell me about this!"<br/><br/>"Oh, well, it's only been up for a short while. It's sort of like... art store slash commissions website, I guess. People can contact me and hire me to do creative stuff with the home. The woman who manages the website for Eivind's furniture company set it up for me."<br/><br/>"Show us! Listen to your hot boyfriend," Little Bird encouraged, waving her hand dismissively at her older brother.<br/><br/>Blue slid away from the table, rushing upstairs to the bedroom to retrieve his phone. He didn't have a laptop, but he also didn't have any access to the internet in Eivind's cabin anyway. Devin always brought a mobile hot spot device whenever she came around, and even that was only partially reliable. "Here," he said when he returned, handing the phone over to his mother, slight trepidation in his voice. "It's a little bare bones at the moment 'cause I've only completed a few paintings, but there are pictures of the banister up and also a dresser I painted. It's upstairs in the bedroom."<br/><br/>Katherine was quiet for a long while, slowly looking over the website on Blue's phone. His heart pounded in his chest as she quietly browsed, clicking on links, zooming in and out. Finally, she handed the phone over to Little Bird whose actions mimicked those of her mother.<br/><br/>"It's excellent, honey." Katherine smiled sweetly, reaching across the table to take Blue's hand. "I'm very impressed. It's a great way to showcase and potentially monetize your art."<br/><br/>"It was Eivind's idea, really. I told him I wanted to, y'know, contribute to the household and this is what he suggested. I'm happy with how it's coming together."<br/><br/>"Any clients yet?"<br/><br/>"Well, no, not yet, but the website just went up and I'm still working on getting some pieces finished and photographed so they can be put up for sale."<br/><br/>"Soon, then," Katherine replied confidently, taking a spoonful of vegetables into her mouth.<br/><br/>The dinner continued on, more small talk, more smiling, Blue giving Eivind another portion of stew before everyone had finished, their bellies full and warm. Blue ushered his sisters back into the living room before beginning to clear the table, but his mother stopped him. "Allow me," she began, snatching a bowl from Blue's hands.<br/><br/>"Mom, you're a guest, I can't--"<br/><br/>"I insist," she replied, and Blue knew from the firm tone in her voice that arguing wasn't going to end in a victory for him. He shrugged his shoulders and joined his sisters, both of them instantly beginning to gush about their lives the moment he sat down between them on the couch.<br/><br/>"Eivind, help me, would you?" Katherine asked, walking over to the sink. "I know you're not a dumb man, Eivind," she began, turning on the water and beginning to scrub the bowl clean. "I didn't come here just for a happy visit. I... I wanted to apologize to you. For the assumptions my husband and I made about you. The way Blue spoke of you that day in the hotel, I knew we had made a serious mistake with the way we judged you. I've had a lot of time to think about things. About Blue. We've always known he was different. I don't just mean about his sexuality. He's always been... quiet. Moody. He likes being alone. He'd rather sleep underneath the stars than his own bed most nights. My husband can be quite strict, and he's had to learn the hard way that planning out your child's life just isn't possible, especially with a boy like Blue."<br/><br/>The water was warming and soothing on her hands, droplets dripping from her manicured fingernails. "Blue has never been very forthcoming with his emotions. He's outspoken, yes, but he buries a lot as well. He'll pretend everything is okay even when it isn't until something causes him to explode and then all of these pent up emotions will just come rushing forward like a wave. For him to say he loved you was very surprising to us. And very brave. After Louis and I left, I thought to myself, 'If Blue truly loves this man, I owe it to my son to get to know him. There must be something about him I'm not seeing.' So when you called to invite us, I felt obligated to come. I'm sorry Louis didn't join us, but I think it's for the best. He's still harboring some difficult emotions and is having trouble processing them. But I believe he'll come around.<br/><br/>"I think my question to you, Eivind, is what do you expect from all of this? Where would you like to go? You've taken in my son, spent all this money on him, and you don't seem the type to... keep younger men." She blushed slightly as she said this, embarrassed that she had once accused Eivind of only liking Blue because he was young and attractive.