Love and Misadventure
Eight
Levi kept his suspicions of Royce to himself, but the more time he spent around the man, the more he started to think that he may have been in this for the money. Maybe that shouldn't have been an issue for Levi, but he couldn't help but worry they would leave the Temple of Arisha in tatters. Henry wouldn't allow it, but as much as Levi admired the man, Henry was far outnumbered.
He was deep in thought when a knock on his door startled him. He was lucky to have a room to himself on the boat so he didn't have to be around the team, but he supposed it was too much to be asked for everyone to leave him alone. When he opened it, he was surprised to see Juliette there. She eyed him warily and he quickly realized his shirt was half unbuttoned since he was getting comfortable in the stateroom. He quickly buttoned up his shirt and she straightened out a little bit.
"Daddy wanted me to tell you he's not feeling up to reading over notes this afternoon," she told him. "He asked me to pick up your notes so he could read them."
"Is he alright?" Levi asked.
"He got seasick the second the ship started moving," she sighed. "He'll adjust, but he's been vomiting all morning. I need to get back to him, so hurry up."
"Yeah, I just need to find it. Hold on."
She followed Levi inside the room and looked around as he plucked out the pages he knew Henry would want. She sort of wrinkled her nose at most of his things and Levi supposed she was probably too posh to care much about the modest things he had. Levi stacked the papers and handed them to her, but she didn't leave right away. Instead, she stopped and looked at a heading on the first page.
"You wrote this wrong," she told him matter-of-factly.
"What?" he asked, brow furrowed. "Which part?"
"You wrote 'Teh Word of Uara'. I assume you meant 'the', not 'teh'. Did you forget your glasses or something?"
He rolled his eyes and took the papers back. "I only need them when I read."
She seemed surprised that he didn't snip back at her, instead taking a pen to cross out the misspelling and correct it. Frankly, Levi was a little more frustrated with himself than with her. He took special care not to make those kinds of mistakes anymore.
"I don't care Daddy cares," she pointed out. "I was messing with you."
"I fixed it," he told her, scanning over the papers quickly to see if anything else was glaring at him.
She paused for a moment, then furrowed her brow.
"It's not the first time you've mixed up that word, is it?" she asked. "Levi, are you... dyslexic?"
"I manage it," he said, handing the papers back. "Years of practice, but I manage. I wasn't going to let something like that slow me down."
He expected her to make fun of him for it. Lots of kids did when he was young, teasing him for "not being able to read" or being "stupid". Like he said he had learned to manage it, but misspellings snuck through at times. Henry was aware of it, but Levi liked to keep it a secret.
"That's kind of impressive."
The comment surprised Levi, and Juliette seemed just as shocked that the words came out of her mouth.
"I mean, whatever," she said quickly. "Lots of people are dyslexic."
"Yeah," he said, picking up a book from a stack on the desk. "I heard about Leylan mythology for the first time as a kid. I was determined to learn more, so I guess I did. I read this thing a thousand times, probably. Have... you read it?"
Juliette glanced at the book, but was pretending like she wasn't interested. Still, Levi could see a glimmer of interest in the book of Leylan mythology stories.
"No, I haven't," she said. "Not that one. I've read plenty of others, though."
She seemed to be trying to prove herself to Levi, and suddenly he felt an unusual pang of guilt for assuming she was a spoiled brat like Rebecca was. She acted like one at times, but this was the first time Levi had somewhat of a real conversation with her. It was kind of nice, and that felt weird.
"I have to get back to Daddy," she said. "Thanks. Bye."
She turned towards the door, and Levi found himself moving without his brain telling him to.
"Juliette, wait."
She stopped to look at him and he handed her the mythology book they were talking about. She took it warily.
"You can keep that one," he told her. "I have another copy at home. I have annotations in the margins, but you can erase or ignore them."
She stared at him for a few moments, then looked at the book. She tucked it under her arm and gave him a slight nod.
"Yeah. Thanks."
"Sure."
She headed out the door, and as soon as she was gone Levi felt like he was about to throw up too. Did he just have a nice conversation with Juliette Covington? She still thought he was hot garbage, but why was he having a harder time hating her back? He shook his head and sat on the bed with his face in his hands. Maybe he was seasick, too.
He was deep in thought when a knock on his door startled him. He was lucky to have a room to himself on the boat so he didn't have to be around the team, but he supposed it was too much to be asked for everyone to leave him alone. When he opened it, he was surprised to see Juliette there. She eyed him warily and he quickly realized his shirt was half unbuttoned since he was getting comfortable in the stateroom. He quickly buttoned up his shirt and she straightened out a little bit.
"Daddy wanted me to tell you he's not feeling up to reading over notes this afternoon," she told him. "He asked me to pick up your notes so he could read them."
"Is he alright?" Levi asked.
"He got seasick the second the ship started moving," she sighed. "He'll adjust, but he's been vomiting all morning. I need to get back to him, so hurry up."
"Yeah, I just need to find it. Hold on."
She followed Levi inside the room and looked around as he plucked out the pages he knew Henry would want. She sort of wrinkled her nose at most of his things and Levi supposed she was probably too posh to care much about the modest things he had. Levi stacked the papers and handed them to her, but she didn't leave right away. Instead, she stopped and looked at a heading on the first page.
"You wrote this wrong," she told him matter-of-factly.
"What?" he asked, brow furrowed. "Which part?"
"You wrote 'Teh Word of Uara'. I assume you meant 'the', not 'teh'. Did you forget your glasses or something?"
He rolled his eyes and took the papers back. "I only need them when I read."
She seemed surprised that he didn't snip back at her, instead taking a pen to cross out the misspelling and correct it. Frankly, Levi was a little more frustrated with himself than with her. He took special care not to make those kinds of mistakes anymore.
"I don't care Daddy cares," she pointed out. "I was messing with you."
"I fixed it," he told her, scanning over the papers quickly to see if anything else was glaring at him.
She paused for a moment, then furrowed her brow.
"It's not the first time you've mixed up that word, is it?" she asked. "Levi, are you... dyslexic?"
"I manage it," he said, handing the papers back. "Years of practice, but I manage. I wasn't going to let something like that slow me down."
He expected her to make fun of him for it. Lots of kids did when he was young, teasing him for "not being able to read" or being "stupid". Like he said he had learned to manage it, but misspellings snuck through at times. Henry was aware of it, but Levi liked to keep it a secret.
"That's kind of impressive."
The comment surprised Levi, and Juliette seemed just as shocked that the words came out of her mouth.
"I mean, whatever," she said quickly. "Lots of people are dyslexic."
"Yeah," he said, picking up a book from a stack on the desk. "I heard about Leylan mythology for the first time as a kid. I was determined to learn more, so I guess I did. I read this thing a thousand times, probably. Have... you read it?"
Juliette glanced at the book, but was pretending like she wasn't interested. Still, Levi could see a glimmer of interest in the book of Leylan mythology stories.
"No, I haven't," she said. "Not that one. I've read plenty of others, though."
She seemed to be trying to prove herself to Levi, and suddenly he felt an unusual pang of guilt for assuming she was a spoiled brat like Rebecca was. She acted like one at times, but this was the first time Levi had somewhat of a real conversation with her. It was kind of nice, and that felt weird.
"I have to get back to Daddy," she said. "Thanks. Bye."
She turned towards the door, and Levi found himself moving without his brain telling him to.
"Juliette, wait."
She stopped to look at him and he handed her the mythology book they were talking about. She took it warily.
"You can keep that one," he told her. "I have another copy at home. I have annotations in the margins, but you can erase or ignore them."
She stared at him for a few moments, then looked at the book. She tucked it under her arm and gave him a slight nod.
"Yeah. Thanks."
"Sure."
She headed out the door, and as soon as she was gone Levi felt like he was about to throw up too. Did he just have a nice conversation with Juliette Covington? She still thought he was hot garbage, but why was he having a harder time hating her back? He shook his head and sat on the bed with his face in his hands. Maybe he was seasick, too.