Ran Orlo was younger than Finn had been.
It was a startling realization that Teyla wasn't totally comfortable with.
Finn had enough years on him that he could have been Ran Orlo's teacher. Granted, it was only about five years, but that was an age in the Imperial Army.
He was still a baby, and when he showed up, saying his uncle had sent him away because something was wrong with Lord Rong, he reminded her of a confused puppy.
Mela ushered him inside and started a pot of tea.
Teyla watched him fidget awkwardly on the couch for a moment. "What happened?"
Ran Orlo blinked rapidly. "I don't know? Something is wrong with Lord Rong."
Teyla shared a look with Mela over his head and remembered the many times they'd been in this exact position with Finn when he'd been young and worried because their parents spoke to one another in a way that made them seem more like enemies than partners. He'd been too young and too innocent to understand that people who had been together for so long could hate one another as much as they loved each other.
He'd died too innocent to understand that hate and love were the same thing.
Perhaps that was a terrible upside to dying young. You never realized how complicated and terrible the world could be.
The crushing sadness that came every time she thought of Finn was suffocating, but it passed eventually.
"I don't understand why he came to Uncle's room?" Ran Orlo curled up the way teenagers did, all those gangly limbs tucked in to make himself as small as possible. A natural defense against a world they didn't understand.
Mela bit her lip, trying to hide a smile. She always found these kinds of situations amusing.
Teyla found them annoying.
Mela poured them all tea and took a seat next to Ran.
He seemed a little surprised when she handed him a cup, but he seemed surprised by everything when he'd been following them around as they ferreted out which High Court members had been bought by the Yangs.
"Has your Uncle not explained to you that he and Lord Rong are…" Mela shot her a warning look. "Close?" He was old enough to know what sex was, but Teyla was always wary of making Mela angry.
Mela was a bit terrifying when she was angry.
Ran Orlo blinked over his tea. "No? I mean," he rallied. "I know they are friends?" He said friends tentatively. Like he wasn't sure it was the right answer.
Had he even had his first kiss yet?
"They're a bit more than friends, Orlo." Mela said gently, but it clearly went over the boy's head.
Teyla shook her head, more amused than she wanted to admit. "They're romantically involved." Although she doubted Lord Rong and Kai Low realized how close they'd become. The fact that Lord Rong had gone directly to Kai Low after receiving what was no doubt devastating news said a lot.
Ran Orlo blinked again. Teyla and Mela watched him absorb the information, watched the widening of his eyes as he realized what they meant.
What he'd missed.
"Wait, why-" He fumbled. "Why would Uncle…"
Teyla stiffened, wary. Sorry was well known for its care and concern over gender in relationships, but they were in the minority on the Rock. Many were moving towards it, few were overly strict about enforcing laws if they did have them in place, but there were some.
Teyla didn't think much of such barbaric and backward places. It was unfortunate that sometimes, even in enlightened Sorrow, people were still bigots. She hadn't gotten that sense from Ran Orlo, but he was still a child where it mattered, and the Tribes were less accepting because they depended so heavily on their population numbers to survive.
A lack of experience could be corrected. Internal rot was much harder to deal with.
"They are quite fond of one another," Mela added gently.
Ran Orlo leaned back, stared down at his tea. He chewed on his lip. "They don't act like it. Father doted on mother."
Teyla and Mela shared another tense look. Ran Orlo had never said much more than that, but they'd heard enough directly and indirectly from Yuze and Kai Low to know that what Ran Orlo remembered about his mother and the man he considered his father, Beng Shai, was a very curated experience of what actually took place.
It was hardly a healthy example. At least in that, Yuze and Kai Low were ahead of them.
"Not all relationships look the same from the outside." Mela offered. She was better at the emotional stuff than Teyla. "People have different ways of expressing their love, and not everyone needs the same things in a relationship." She paused, smiled. "Some people change drastically when they are in a relationship, and others are simply themselves with another person."
Ran Orlo listened with wide eyes. "So it's normal that they argue all the time?"
Telya covered her hand with her mouth, softening her laugh. The boy had some observational skills at least.
Mela nodded easily. "I have met people who loved one another deeply, but hardly ever spoke a word to one another."
Ran Orlo frowned. "But how do they…"
Mela shrugged and patted him on the shoulder. "Drink your tea. Something has happened, and Lord Rong needed comfort."
Ran Orlo nodded, and after a moment, his face cleared a bit, and he sipped his tea.
"Do you have a problem with them together?" Teyla asked and shrugged when Mela gave her a sharp look. Too fast, it said.
But Ran Orlo shook his head. "I suppose not. If he is who Uncle chose….but Uncle could do better."
Teyla snorted. "I think every child thinks that about their family members." He wasn't old enough to realize that sometimes people ended up with exactly who they deserved. "Did you happen to hear what upset Lord Rong?"
The boy flinched, hunched in on himself. Clearly, he'd stuck around to listen at the door. He nodded, his cheeks burning. "I know I wasn't supposed to…"
"It is forgivable if you did it out of care." Mela comforted him, then added. "Just don't do it often."
Ran Orlo nodded, eager to be reassured. "All I heard was that Lord Zhao confessed."
Mela's shocked eyes found Teyla's.
What the hell had Lord Zhao confessed?
~ tbc