Hibiki and his mother made their way past precariously icy pavements on the way from the car to the restaurant they had chosen. Although the roads had been cleared of snow, large amounts of it still heaped up and spilled onto narrow sidewalks. He was fine in his boots, but his mother had more difficulty in her heels, causing her PA to reach out a hand and help her.

「I enjoy snow, but why must it be everywhere?」She remarked to nobody in particular, as she stood up straight again and fixed her coat. He smiled and shrugged, to say he didn't know.

「Ah well, at least it won't be inside.」She sighed as she took the lead and entered the restaurant.

A few moments later they were seated at a wooden table near the windows, where they could see the passers-by on the quaint street. Wreaths and colourful decorations and lights brightened up the space, and although the placement was neat and well thought-out, it added charm.

A waitress brought them a leather-bound menu, and then left them to mull over the dishes. From where he was seated he saw her doing the same to the table with PAs and bodyguards, right behind his mother. He disliked their presence, but chose to ignore it and flipped through the menu. In the end he settled for some soup and sandwiches, while his mother picked a salad.

「Would you tell me a little bit more about your relationship with Tristan? After your... escapade, we didn't hear much.」His mother asked, as she took a modest bite of her salad. Since he could eat and communicate at the same time, he took a big bite out of his own sandwich and began to sign to her.

'It's going well, we do normal things. I took him to dinner, and we met up for studying. We didn't have a lot of time before Christmas, but we text a lot when we're at home. He reads me books and cooks for me in the morning. And then we just talk. He lets me finish my messages, and really takes me seriously'

He couldn't help but smile a little as he recalled what things had been like before Christmas. His mother simply let him continue, well versed in the art of tactical quiet.

'I like that we are honest to one another. He doesn't judge me for my past, or for not being able to talk. I've told him about what happened, and my issues, and when I feel down or my memories are playing up I can talk to him. And he relies on me too, when he gets anxious or panics.'

A strange part of him felt happy telling his mother about their dynamic, even though he figured he should feel bad about them both having such difficulties and mental ailments. In a way he wished they didn't have to, but the fact that they could talk so openly comforted him. It meant he didn't have to hide himself.

「It is very good to hear that he is supportive of you.」His mother said, and he could tell that she genuinely meant it.「And that you are helping him too. Does it happen often?」

He sighed softly, but then shook his head. It did happen often, or at least too often for him, since he knew where it came from. He was impressed that it didn't happen all the time.

'More frequently at the start of the year. But he was doing very well once we started dating, not perfect, but definitely better. I tried to get him to see a psychologist, he just wasn't ready for that. Even then he improved though. Please don't take this as him being a burden on me, he is there for me too. But he is in a bad position. I don't think his father cares, and his mother is evil.'

There were several more choice signs that he could make with regards to Tristan's mother, and evil barely began to scratch the surface. His own mother nodded sympathetically, but despite that he saw a glimmer of disdain in her eyes.

「She was the one that hurt him, wasn't she?」She asked, her tone cool in a way he hadn't heard often, and that frightened him somewhat.

He nodded, whilst simultaneously averting his gaze and frowning as he felt nothing but hatred for Tristan's mother.

'She beat him. Ever since he was ten. He had to take care of his sister because his mom was so shit. And then she put him in this crazy fucking cult. Even then he still managed to get into university. He gets scared of failing, and being hurt by others, but that's why we understand one another so well.'

Although he trusted that his mother didn't have bad intentions, he still didn't want to talk about Tristan's issues like this – because he didn't believe he was defined by those circumstances.

'That's not who he is though, I don't want you to only know that side of him and then think he's bad for me. He's smart, patient, and caring... and when he talks about something he likes, or in front of an audience he's so eloquent and passionate. He just,-'

The signs fell still in mid-air, as his body was barraged with heavy tingles. It filled him, to the point where he couldn't think of any words that would do justice to how much he felt for Tristan. His face flushed with heat. Although he was woefully embarrassed that his mother saw, he admitted to it all by making a heart gesture over his chest.

His mother smiled, endeared by his response, and he could tell that she was truly happy. A weight lifted off of his shoulders, now the things he felt were acknowledged in a positive way.

「Just be careful of that love Hiki – it's easy to lose if you don't cherish it.」

He sighed deeply and nodded, not sure why he would squander it when he knew well enough he didn't have many chances at love. The fact that she was advising him however did tell him she had begun to accept the idea.

For a while his mother remained pensively quiet, and from the way her expression subtly fell he could tell she disapproved of something. He'd seen it often enough, but this didn't appear to be targeted at him.

「I can't imagine that a mother would hurt her child.」She said softly, her voice filled with sorrow that slipped into disdain.「But I suppose that sets apart the worst of us.」

A sigh escaped her, and he answered with one of his own, silently sharing in her lament, even if it was for different reasons.

'Please be kind to him. He's been through a lot. I know that you want to meet him and see what he's like, but I brought him here so he could recover from what happened'

His mother smiled; the kind of smile she would give whenever he did something endearingly naive that worried her, but she couldn't be mad at because it was done with the right intentions. It felt dismissive, but in the moment he accepted it as something positive.

「Do you truly care for him so deeply?」She asked, and despite the question he could tell that she approved. So he nodded, smiling at her and then down at his plate as admitting to it left a warm glow in his chest.

'I do. He's special to me, because he treats me like I am normal'

The endeared smile returned, but this time it came with genuine delight, rather than dismissiveness. His mother folded her hands in front of her, and gave him a nod of her head.

「That's good.」She said sage-like, and it put him at ease.