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Arlen Kallem has recently come into possession of a boat. Well, actually he's recently come into possession of a few things, given his mother just died. But most relevantly, he has a boat. And a friend, with whom he can boat. These facts are relevant.
Harin has no objections to boating; he's still in shock, as far as Arlen can tell, which is pretty unreasonable, considering it's been like a week since his dad died, and the guy was a complete asshole. But it does make him conveniently portable and boat-able. Arlen is the skipper and Harin is the something. They are the perfect team.
Even the most perfect team can make dumb mistakes, though. Like drifting farther out to sea than intended. Or not noticing a hurricane brewing. Or being swept across the ocean until they smash onto the far shore. That sort of thing.
Ari, sprawled on the beach, has a pillow; the pillow is a large chunk of rock protruding from the sand. It's such a lovely pillow. Very comfortable. He's going to sleep now. Harin has similar opinions on the subject.
Harin looks immeasurably uncomfortable, and squirms in his chair.
Arlen nods decisively and turns to Nior. "He wants you to teach him how to cook but he doesn't wanna say it because he thinks it sounds dumb and he doesn't like himself. That's kinda how most of him works."
"I know the feeling," says Nior. "I'll teach you if you like. I don't know how good a teacher I am, but I can try."
Arlen deliberates, then decides that Harin is currently more in need of and in better shape to support snuggles. He climbs Harin and continues hugging him until further notice.
"Mother's coming back this afternoon," he mentions to Arlen and Harin when all this is over with.
Nior is an all-right teacher, it turns out. His patience seems to be nearly geological in scope, and he can usually figure out how to explain things if he takes a little time to think about it.
Harin has a tendency to try to do things without asking for clarification if he doesn't understand them, but he gains confidence as he goes. (Arlen, lounging on various nearby surfaces, assists with this unprompted.)
She steps into the kitchen, looks at Nior, looks at the strange children present, and says, "Is this Miraen's fault in some way?"
Nior trots over to collect motherly hugs.
"Mother, this is Harin Dochenza and Arlen Kallem, who shipwrecked on our beach yesterday. Harin, Ari, this is my mother, Carielle Kyres."