Chapter 102 - The Kitchen
Trinaferro walked into the kitchen in the palace looking for something to settle her stomach. It turned out that she wasn’t the only one with that idea. Insegniferro was standing in front of the ice box, looking in for some milk as well. He heard her come in and turned around to see who it was.
"Trina," Iggy said, "You can’t sleep either, huh?"
"Every time I try I think of him," she explained, "Can’t even come close to getting to sleep."
"He’s changed a lot, hasn’t he?" Iggy asked her, "Since you first met him?"
"In good ways, mostly," Trina nodded, "I still worry about him though."
"That’s what love is about, Trina," Iggy told her, "And you love him dearly. I noticed that between you two as soon as you walked in together."
"It shows that much, huh?" Trina asked him, "Or do you share Medo’s abilities?"
"I’m a garden variety human," Iggy said, "I know not what Medo does, only that it works and that his heart is in the right place."
"Along with other things," Trina chuckled, "Anyway…"
"Don’t worry about him," Iggy told her, trying to be reassuring, "If anyone can pull this off, it is our Medoferro. The one thing I’ve learned about that boy is not to underestimate him."
"It’s just jitters, Iggy," she promised, "Nothing major. I’m more worried about being left here alone, to be honest."
"I know," Insegniferro nodded, "I do have a story that might help you though."
"Oh?" Trina asked him, "Do tell."
"A long time ago there was a young Mullinix who had just come in, much like you have," Iggy told her, "The new Mullinix was young as well, so was not much help in comforting or even understanding what the new Mullinix was going through."
"Ok," Trina said, sipping her milk, "What happened?"
"One time both the Mullinix and the Elder had to go out to a conference," Insegniferro continued, "Leaving the new Mullinix alone in the palace for the first time to deal with what came up. Unfortunately, the new Mullinix had the misfortune of having a nasty feud pop up with one of the surrounding districts."
"I thought that sort of thing was handled by the colonel," Trina said, "Right?"
"It usually is," Insegniferro nodded, "Unless the Colonel happens to be related to one of the families. He had to sit it out and it was brought right to the palace. None of the parties were willing to wait and the young Mullinix had to take the case without having so much as sat through a session."
"Sounds frightening," Trina said, "But he got it sorted out, right?"
"Actually," Iggy chuckled, "He made a right mess of it. By the time that the Mullinix and the Elder came back the two families were at each other’s throats, almost turning the palace into a battle ground."
"And this is supposed to make me feel better?" Trina asked, cocking an eyebrow at the elder, "How?"
"You see," Insegniferro said, "When the Mullinix came back, he knew just what was missing from the equation and told the Apprentice. The Apprentice went in and used that little piece of knowledge."
"And fixed it all, right?" Trina frowned.
"Why would you think that?" Iggy said, "It actually made things worse. The Mullinix had misremembered the information and managed to insult both parties. It wasn’t until the apprentice managed to convince the leaders of the clans of the inconsistency of their arguments that it was fixed."
"So what are you trying to tell me?" Trina asked him, "That there is no right answer?"
"That no matter how bad it looks," Iggy said, looking very wizened, "It can always be made worse. Just roll with the punches and do the best you can. That’s all any of us can do."
"Thanks," Trina sighed, "I think."
"Don’t mention it," Iggy said, "If you need to talk, let me know."
Trina nodded and started walking towards the staircase again. Then it occurred to her that there was one question she had neglected to ask. She caught Iggy’s attention and he turned back to her as well.
"Who was it?" Trina asked him, "That Mullinix and Apprentice?"
"Massimaferro was the apprentice," Iggy said, "I was the Mullinix that made it worse. You see, we’re humans, therefore we are fallible. Can’t let yourself forget that, Trina."
"I won’t," Trina smiled, "Thanks, Iggy."
The Mullinix Book 1: Ascension Page 106