502. Songbirds

It took a while for Jael to speak after Louis left and when he did, his words didn't come as a surprise. It was totally the kind of thing he would say.

"You shouldn't care about Marceline and you certainly shouldn't care about what she thinks about you. Her opinion should hold water to you."

Jael looked at Mauve as he spoke, his eyes scanned her face as though he was looking for something.

"Why not?" Mauve asked, looking away from his piercing gaze. His blue eyes stared deep into her soul. "She's your aunt."

"She's not," he said stubbornly.

"I know she's not your aunt biologically, but she must have been pretty close to your family," she replied.

When he didn't respond, she raised her gaze to his face. "Did something happen between you two?"

Jael sighed and looked away from her. "It's not what you think. We didn't have a great relationship when my parents were alive either."

"Why not?" She asked, genuinely curious.