Open Keeping Connected

[Ethan Alexander]

There was a time when Ethan wrote a lot of letters. But they had been to his mom and he had never been sure if she had gotten them. She rarely answered and when she did she never really responded to the things he had told her. It hurt if he thought about her too much but he was usually too busy to spend much time dwelling on someone who didn't want to be a part of his life. Besides he had a family now. A real family. Deep down he knew his mother loved him and she tried her best but now that he was older he was now starting to realize all the ways she had failed him. Now he was writing letters again but they were to Ernie or Olivia or Zelda, asking for updates on Harlow or just telling them what he was up to. Ethan gave his owl some treats and some head scratches before attaching his most recent letter. He sent Cosmo off and took a moment to look at the other owls before digging into his pockets for some extra treats to hand out.

 

[Emery Mettlestone]

Emery didn't write home very often, as he didn't get a response most of the time, but he still felt some sort of duty as the oldest to at least occasionally let their parents know they were still alive and doing reasonably well. The letter he had in his hand as he climbed the stairs wasn't very long, but it was something. He didn't have much to say, Briony was in her own world and Vanity was a nightmare as always, nothing new. He made his way into the owlery and paused when he saw Ethan there. They were roommates but Emery hadn't spoken to him much in recent years, they hadn't gotten along. Emery had to quietly wonder if maybe he had a bit more in common with Vanity than he would like. He didn't even remember what they had disagreed over all those years ago. Emery shuffled a little uncertainly, then spoke up. "Hey. Can I use that owl?"

 

[Ethan Alexander]

Ethan was very used to owls at this point and if he was being honest he didn't always pay attention to them the way he should. They were still animals after all. He was in the middle of feeding them some treats when he heard someone else break the silence. In the time it took for him to turn his head and hum in response, the owls saw their chance and few of them swarmed him and started to peck eagerly at the remaining treats. He let out an alarmed squawk of his own and dropped the crumbs on the floor before waving them away. "Come on guys, you have to share." he grumbled before looking back to Emery who he realized was the on to distract him. "Sorry." he mumbled. "I can help you send it." he offered. "They're gonna be... jumpy for a little while."